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SABBATH EVENINGS AT HOME; 

OB, 

FAMILIAR CONVERSATIONS ON THE JEWISH RELIGION, 
ITS SPIRIT AND OBSERVANCES. 



MIRIAM MENDES BELISARIO, 

ACTHOK OF 

A HEBREW AND ENGLISH TOCABOLAKY FROM A SELECTfON OF THE 
DAILY PKAYEES." 



IN TWO PAETS. 

PART L 

REVISED BY THE REV. D. A. DE SOLA. 



Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he vnll not 
depart from it."— Pkov. xxii. 6. 



LONDON: 
S. JOEL, 42, FORE STREET, CRIPPLEGATE. 



5616—1856. 

ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL. 



Jiinple Rodef Slialon!, 



^^/^/S6C 



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LONDON : 

WBRTHEffMRR AND CO.. PRINTERS, 

FIS3BVRY CIRCUS. 



'Gi- 



s~o 



TO 
HER SOLE SURVIVING PARENT, 

|er ktote Pother, 

WHOM SHE FERVENTLY PRATS MAY BE SPARED TO HER 

FOR MANY YEARS, 

THIS LITTLE WORK IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED, 

BY 

HER DUTIFUL CHILD, 

THE AUTHOR. 



LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 



The Rev, De. Abler. 
Mrs. David Aguilar (6 copies). 
Miss Abecassis (2 copies). 
Mrs. Almosnino. 
Miss Aaronson. 

Dr. Benisch. 

Miss Belisario, Clapton (18 copies). 

Mrs. Earned (3 copies). 

Mrs. I. Benoliel (2 copies), 

Mrs. ft. Benjamin (2 copies). 

Miss Benzaken, 

Miss Benimo. 

Mrs, Brunswick. 

Miss Benham. 

Miss Bensoad, 

Eev. R. T, Cohen, Dover. 
Miss Cohen, ditto. 
Mrs. F. A. Cohen (2 copies). 
Manuel Castello, Esq. 
Daniel Castello, Esq. 

E. C. M. Da Costa, Esq. (6 copies). 
J.M. Da Costa, Esq. (6 copies). 
Mrs. Da Costa, Regent-square. 
Miss Da Costa, King-street. 
Miss Da Costa, Bury-street. 
Mrs. James Davis (6 copies). 
Miss De Castro, Hacknej. 
Joseph De Castro, Esq. 

L. Emanuel, Esq. 

E. Foligno, Esq. (5 copies). 

J. A. Franklin, Esq. 

Dr. Franklin, Manchester. 

Mrs. Henry Hess, Liverpool (5 
copies). 



Mrs. E. Henry (2 copies). 
Mrs. M. Henry (2 copies). 
Mrs. Simon Hyam. 
Mrs. Samuel Hyara. 
Mrs. Lawrence Hyam. 
Mrs. Montague Hyam. 

I. M. Isaacs, Esq. 
Mrs. Inglis. 

E. J acob, Esq. 
I. Jalfon, Esq. 
W. Joseph, Esq. 
Mrs. Solomon Joseph. 
Mrs. Simon Joseph. 
Mrs. M. Joseph (2 copies). 
Mrs. A. Joseph (2 copies). 
Mrs. N. Jonas. 

Jewish School, Manchester (12 
copies). 

Dr. Loewe. 

Mrs. P. Lucas. 

Mrs. Lumley. 

Miss Lindo, Holloway. 

M. D. Lindo, Esq. 

Messrs. Longman and Co. 

Sir Moses Montefi ore, Bart., F.R.S. 

(50 copies). 
Lady Montefiore (10 copies). 
Moses Mocatta, Esq. (5 copies). 
The Misses Mocatta, Brighton (5 

copies). 
A. L. Mocatta, Esq. (2 copies). 
Benjamin Mocatta, Esq. (5 copies). 
Mrs. Samuel Mocatta (2 copies). 
Mrs. Mocatta, 2, Woburn-place 

(2 copies). 

F. D. Mocatta, Esq. (2 copies). 



VI 



LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 



Mrs. Jacob Mocatta. 

The Misses Mocatta (2 copies). 

A Mocatta, Esq. 

I. Mocatta, Esq. 

Mrs. Horatio MichoUs (2 copies). 

Mrs. Moro (2 copies). 

Mrs. Moses (2 copies). 

Mrs. E. Moses (2 copies). 

Mrs. Marks, Clapham-park (2 

copies). 
L. Mozley, Esq, 
Mrs. Meyer, Clapton. 
Mrs. Abraham Myers. 
Mrs. Mombach. 
Mrs. Moses, Manchester, 

Rev. D. Piza. 

Miss Piza. 

Daniel De Pass, Esq. (4 copies). 

David De Pass, Esq (4 copies). 

Abraham De Pass, Esq. (2 copies). 

Mrs. C.Phillips. 

Miss Pyke. 

Baroness De Rothschild (10 copies) 
Baroness Meyer De Rothschild (36 
copies). 



Lady Anthony De Rothschild (6 

copies). 
Mrs. Rothschild. 

Rev.D.A.DeSola. 

R. H. Samuel, Esq., Liverpool (5 

copies). 
The Misses Samuda(2 copies). 
Mrs. A. Salomons. 
Mrs. John Samuel 
Mrs. Slowman. 
Sigismund Schloss, Esq. 
Solomon Schloss, Esq. 
Solomon Sequiera, Esq. 
Mrs. D. Samuel. 
Mrs. Singtpn. 
Miss Segre. 

J. Sebag, Esq. (5 copies). 
Mrs. Solomons. 
Miss De Souza. 
Mrs. Spielman. 
Mrs. E. Samuda. 
M. H. Simonson, Esq. 

Major Wolff, K.D., St. Thomas, 

(2,5 copies). 
Miss Wertheim, 



PREFACE, 



The vital importance of acquiring an intimate knowledge 
and appreciation of the integral principles of the holy- 
faith of Israel is so generally recognised among its 
members, as affording the only means of enabling them 
to perform conscientiously the several duties it pre- 
scribes, that, as a necessary consequence, it naturally 
follows, that no effort, however humble or insignificant, 
should be withheld, if in any way calculated to elucidate 
the same. Acting upon these premises, the author of 
this little work trusts that her earnest sincerity of pur- 
pose, will plead in extenuation of the presumption of 
obtruding herself on the notice of her co-religionists; 
but judging that the unprejudiced feelings of youth, 
will more readily yield themselves to the powerful in- 
fluence of Truth, when presented under a garb less 
stern than the direct lesson^ she has with much grati- 
fication devoted her time and consideration to the in- 
spiring task of explaining the spirit and observances of 
Judaism in a series of familiar conversations, such as she 
trusts will sufiiciently interest her young brothers and 
sisters in Israel, as to induce them to seek afterwards 
with renewed zeal for more elaborate information, from 
the many valuable stores both of ancient and modern 
Hebrew literature extant. It may, and will possibly 
be objected, that the quotations from Scripture are too 
copious in proportion to the amount of argument, and 
that references might serve the same purpose. To this 



VIU PKEFACE. 

the author would reply, that the subject being one of no 
ordinary interest, and of so sacred a nature, her chief 
aim has been to impress each individual point of faith 
clearly on the minds of her youthful readers, to effect 
which, a connecting link of apposite illustration ap- 
peared to hold forth the surest promise of success, as 
references are not always attended to at the time, and 
if sought out later, lose their effect from the inevitable 
disconnection of ideas, that has arisen since the discus- 
sion of the topic that necessitated them. 

She embraces this opportunity of publicly acknow- 
ledging the very valuable assistance she has derived 
from the whole series of Mr. Leeser's religious works, 
which if studied progressively, form in themselves a 
compendium of Jewish principles and aspirations, such 
as cannot be too highly estimated: she is also greatly 
indebted to the writings of the Rev. D. A. De Sola, 
and to Mr. Moses Mocatta's very able translation of 
^:1D^? pltn " Faith Strengthened;" in fact, she does not 
hesitate to confess having drawn the honey from every 
blossom, her object being, not to enhance the merit of 
what can only be regarded as a compilation, but to 
avail herself of every clue that may lead her young 
co-religionists more directly and securely to the " Foun- 
tain of living waters." Should the familiar tone of this 
little work conduce to this happy result, by rendering 
the doctrinal lesson a heart-stirring subject of interest, 
she will feel amply compensated for having introduced 
to their notice a Home Friend, whom she trusts will be 
found to avow no other sentiments, than such as become 
a Daughter OF Israel. 
' June, 1856. 



^ 



SABBATH EVENING CONVERSATIONS. 



FIRST CONVERSATION. 

ON EELIGION IN GENERAL. 

Ruth. The winter season is again approacKing, tlie 
festivals are over, and next week, botli Jacob and I 
sliall resume our studies regularly. What a change has 
taken place in our life since this time last year, Aunt ! 
We little thought when you were staying with us some 
few months back, at Manchester, that dear papa and 
mamma would be compelled to go abroad, with the 
prospect of remaining' some years; and still less, that 
we should have been left behind. It appears quite like 
a dream that we have parted with them, with all our 
kind country friends, our pretty cottage and garden; and 
more than all, that we should be quietly settled in busy 
London under your guardianship. 

Aunt. I am delighted to have you with me, my dear 
xjhildren, and shall be amply repaid for the responsibility 
I have undertaken, if you continue as obedient to me, 
and as attentive to your studies as hitherto. I have 
been such a constant visitor to your dear father and 



L 



2 CONVERSATION THE FIRST. ' 

mother from your earliest infancy, and love you both 
so dearly, that I flatter myself Aunt Miriam is no un- 
welcome guardian to her little nephew and niece. But 
we have many duties before us, which we must mutually 
assist each other to perform. Your beloved parents, in 
submitting to the painful sacrifice of parting with you 
for an indefinite period, have evinced the strongest 
proof of their devoted love; they have steadfastly dis- 
regarded all selfish feelings, depriving themselves of 
your society, and of the gratification of watching your 
growth, and moral and mental progress, solely out of 
regard to your future benefit. You must, therefore, 
see how strongly it behoves you to improve every 
leisure moment, and to make the most of the advantages 
which have been procured for you at so painful a cost, 
that on their return they may find you all their hearts 
can desire — pious, amiable, and intelligent. 

Jacob, We will, indeed, do all in our power to prove 
to dear papa and mamma, how deeply we value their 
affection and approbation; and also to you, dear Aunt, 
to whom we are indebted for such a happy home in 
their absence. But we are now going to beg you to 
grant us a great favour; we have a little plan to propose, 
which Euth and I have arranged between us. We have 
been thinking, that if you would spare us one hour 
every evening for a little conversation, we should like 
very much to ask you some questions about the Bible, 
and our religion generally ; we should likewise be very 
glad if you would explain the origin and signification 
of some of our ceremonies, for our school friends 
frequently question us, and we are at a loss for an 
answer. You see. Aunty, we are too old now for mere 
tales, such as you used to relate to us when we were little 
children; but if you would oblige us by consenting to 



RELIGION IN GENERAL. 6 

this instead, we should have a delightful recreation in 
store after the day's studies. 

Aunt. I am truly gratified, my dear children, to 
find that you are so prepared to associate me in your 
pleasures and pursuits, and am both ready and willing to 
take the share you have allotted me; only I think I must 
propose a slight amendment to your plan. As you have 
selected Religion for your subject (and the choice reflects 
great credit on your judgment), do you not think it 
would be better if we were to devote Friday evenings to 
our conversations, when we should not be so restricted 
to time, and your minds would likewise be more at 
liberty for reflection, your studies being over for the 
week? Besides, if we were to adopt your suggestion 
of taking one hour every evening, I am afraid the con- 
stant repetition of the same subject would in the end 
become irksome; and you might also be frequently 
obliged to break ofl* in the midst of an interesting 
discussion from lack of time, as you must remember 
that your school duties for the following day generally 
demand your attention. But I am quite prepared and 
willing to devote every Friday evening to your pleasure; 
after prayers and tea we shall be at liberty, and I do not 
think we could spend the Sabbath eve in a more pro- 
fitable manner. 

Ruth. You have made a great improvement on our 
original plan, dear Aunt; and I am quite anxious to act 
on it at once. 

Aunt. There is still one thing more I must propose, 
as very essential to the success of our little scheme. We 
must have perfect confidence in each other. You look 
surprised, but I will soon explain my meaning. A sick 
person when he calls in a doctor, tells him every symp- 
tom of his complaint — every ailment he is suffering; 



4 . CONVERSATION THE FIRST. 

and so, as you have constituted me your " Doctor of 
Divinity," pro tern., you must both promise never to 
be deterred by false shame from asking the most trivial 
questions; you may think many things so simple that 
you ought to know them — if you do not, ask outright; 
every apparent trifle is important in religion, and as 
our meetings are private, and I am one of the contract- 
ing parties, you need fear no ridicule. Now as all is 
settled, I am quite at your disposal for our projected 
Sabbath Evening Conversations; suppose we commence 
at once to-night. As you have > arranged this plan be- 
tween yourselves secretly, have you decided on any 
particular point of inquiry, or is chance to direct you? 

Jacob. I have so many questions to ask. Aunt, that 
I am really at a loss where to begin; however, first, I 
wish you would be kind enough to explain the real 
meaning of Religion, for I was quite puzzled last Mon- 
day by part of a conversation which I overheard between 
two of our masters. You know that I did not return 
home between school hours, in consequence of the heavy 
rain, and while I was sitting in the class-room, writing 
my French exercise, j\Ir. Ellis, our mathematical master, 
and Mr. Snowden came in, and began arguing about 
some work that is just published, but of which I could 
not catch the title. However, I know from what passed, 
that the subject was a comparison between the different 
religions in the world, for Mr. Ellis, who is not very 
strict in his ideas, said in his queer way: "Well, no 
doubt it will be all right in the end; but it seems to me, 
we are like little children playing at ' Hide and Seek,' 
groping in the dark; however, as the radii of a circle, 
we shall, I suppose, meet in one common centre at last.'' 
Mr. Snowden, who is a rigid Methodist, did not at all 
agree with him; he seemed to think there was very 



RELIGION IN GENERAL. D 

little religion in the world, and that none but his own 
particular sect understood its full meaning. This rather 
provoked Mr. Ellla, who said he did not consider 
religion to consist in relinquishing all the pleasures of 
the world. " But," he continued, *' I suppose every one 
thinks his own the best; Christians of all sects, Ma- 
hometans, Jews, in fact members of all religions arrogate 
the supremacy to their own peculiar tenets; as for my- 
self, I believe the real meaning of religion to be . . . ," 
And just then, Aunt, they most provokingly left the 
room ; and I was so taken up with wondering how he 
would have explained it, that I made several mistakes 
in my exercises, for which I was punished with an 
" imposition." Now as my curiosity is still ungratified, 
I should very much like you to open our " meetings," by 
giving us the real signification of Eeligion, because if it 
mean (as I have always thought), worshipping God, I 
cannot understand how there can be so many different 
kinds; and Ruth is not much wiser, for we have been 
talking it over together. 

Ruth. Jacob I you know very well I told you that 
religion consisted in attending strictly divine worship, 
in being good and charitable. Now is not that right, 
Aunt? 

Aunt. ' I cannot say you are quite right, though you 
are not wholly wrong; for you have named some of the 
acts and qualities that spring from religion, but there 
you have stopped short; while you, my boy, have 
had your poor brains puzzled by Mr. Ellis having, in 
alludfng to the different doctrines, made use of the 
Avord religion as a term for creed, in which sense it is 
frequently employed. Eeligion, as a noun abstract, has 
but one general signification ; although there are num- 
berless different articles of faith, or creeds. 



6 CONVERSATION THE FIRST. 

Jacob. I should be glad if you would explain it then ; 
and at the same time,, pray tell us what is a Creed. 

Aunt. Well, to your first and most important ques- 
tion, "What is Religion? 

Eeligion consists, firstly, in our belief in, and acknow- 
ledgment of, an Almighty God^ as the most perfect and 
holy of all Beings; our Creator, and the Creator of all 
that is in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath. 
Secondly ; it consists in our love, reverence, and fear of 
God; and, thirdly; it consists in our shewing such love, 
reverence and fear, by trying as far as is in our power, 
to perform all the duties He has apportioned to us. 

Ruth. I do not quite understand you yet, Aunt; do 
you mean that religion signifies only a belief in God, as 
an Almighty Creator, and that it has nothing to do with 
being either Jew, Christian, or Mahometan? How is it, 
then, that we are not all the same? What makes the 
difference? 

Aunt. The foundation of all revealed religion, is the 
Bible; from its holy precepts all believers in revelation 
derive their knowledge of God; but the various inter- 
*pretations given to its doctrine, which we must call 
articles of belief, or creeds, constitute the different faiths 
to which you allude. For ourselves, my love, we must 
ever bear in mind, that it is the most sacred duty of 
every Israelite to remain steadfast in that holy faith, the 
laws and ordinances of which were revealed to our fore- 
fathers direct from the Almighty, through the mouth 
of His prophet Moses; but you are inclined to run on 
with railroad speed, and I think I must make use of our 
railroad map of England to render the matter more 
clear to your comprehension. 

Jacob. Why, what can the map have to do with 
religion ? You are laughing at us, Aunt. 



RELIGION IN GENERAL. 7 

Aunt. Wait a little, my boy, and just answer me 
one question. In what relation do you regard London 
to England? 

Jacob. Why, of course it is the capital city, the seat 
of government, to which all the counties send repre- 
sentatives ; the centre of commerce (in this country ), and 
the terminus or starting-point of all the principal rail- 
ways. 

Aunt. Capitally answered; but still you look incre- 
dulous of its having anything to do with our subject. 
Patience! we shall, I hope, arrive safely at a termi- 
nus in time. Now will you look in the map, and name 
me three of the principal lines of railroad. 

Jacob. Well, this does puzzle me ; however, here they 
are — the Great Western, the Great Northern, and the 
Midland Counties, are, I think, the chief ones, or have 
the most traffic, but there are numberless branches from 
each of them. 

Aunt. Now observe, my dear children, in tracing 
the course of the railroads from their most remote 
starting-point, how the main lines run direct to London 
as the great central point; the branch lines are only 
off-shoots from the same, having their foundation in the 
main lines, but diverging from the direct route. 

Ruth. I think I begin to discover your meaning, 
Aunty ; but pray go on. 

Aunt. Now, to drop our worldly metaphor for the pre^ 
sent, we Israelites, you know, believe in the existence 
of One Almighty God — the SoLE One; our Creator, 
and the Creator of all that is in the heavens above, and 
on the earth beneath. We believe that before Him no 
creative power existed; and that after Him, none will 
^xist. " Know, therefore, this day, and reflect in thine 



8 CONVERSATION THE FIRST. 

heart, that the Lord He is God in heaven above, and in 
the earth beneath; there is none else" (Deut. iv. 39). 

Now the behef in a great Creative Power — in the ex- 
istence of a Being superior to human kind, whose 
might is so tremendous, that in no way can it be 
fathomed or understood, has been implanted in the mind 
of man from the earliest creation of the world. Having 
created man '' in His own image," God in His infinite 
wisdom proclaimed Himself to our first parents, as the 
Great First Cause of all surrounding wonders, by direct 
revelation. 

"' And God blessed them, and God said unto them, 
Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and 
subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, 
and over the fowl of the air, and over everything that 
moveth upon the earth. And God said. Behold, I have 
given you the herb bearing seed, which is upon the 
face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the 
fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 
And to every beast of the earth, and every fowl of the 
air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, 
wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for 
meat, and it was so" (Gen. i. 28 — 31). 

Now, my dear children, after seeing and hearing all 
this, can you not imagine that Adam and Eve, our first 
parents, although God was not visible to their eyesight, 
knew and felt themselves to be under the power and 
direction of a Superior Being, through whose Will they 
and all living creatures had been called into existence, 
and under whose merciful guardianship alone, they were 
being sustained? They could not fail to do so; the 
greatness of the works around them, the wonders of the 
creation which they knew they did not, and certainly- 



RELIGION IN GENERAL. 9 

could not produce, the vastness and splendour of the 
heavens above them, the abundant resources of animal 
and vegetable nature provided for their sustenance, and 
actually placed at their disposal by the Almighty Creator, 
each_, and all, were alike calculated to impress their 
minds with reverence, awe, and gratitude; they felt 
themselves dependent on a Power higher than their 
minds could conceive; — they had scarcely then learned 
to love that Power. God in His all-wise beneficence, 
had caused an instinctive feeling of religious veneration 
to take root in the human breast, as the foundation of a 
belief in Himself as the Sole Supreme Divinity. 

Jacob. I see that clearly now, and suppose it was 
this same instinctive feeling of a Higher Power, over 
which they could gain no control, that made so many 
nations worship idols, animals, reptiles, etc., etc. 

Aunt, You are quite right, my boy; the necessity 
for a reliance on a Supreme Power forming a part of 
man^s nature, those nations to whom God's Holy Word 
was not revealed, or who hearing of it, could not, or 
would not, understand and obey it,— those nations, set 
up objects of worship for themselves, objects that were 
visible to the naked eye, to whom they offered up sacri- 
fices and prayers; and applied for help in their difficul- 
ties, not reflecting in the foolishness of their hearts, that 
what they had themselves formed could have no power 
over them. Let us see if we cannot find some passage 
in the Bible that will give us a good description of 
Idolatry. 

Ruth. We were reading a chapter in the prophet 
Isaiah last Saturday, which I think applies exactly to 
our subject. Shall I read it? 

Aunt. Yes, my love, it is a splendid picture of the 



10 CONVERSATION THE FIRST. 

vanity of idols^ which God gives us through the mouth 
of His prophet. 

Ruth. ** Fear ye not, neither be afraid, have not I 
told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are 
even my witnesses* Is there a God beside me? Yea 
there is no God ; I know not any. They that make a 
graven image are all of them vanity : and their delectable 
things shall not profit ; and they are their own witnesses : 
they see not, nor know ; that they may be ashamed. 

" Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image 
that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his fellows 
shall be ashamed; and the workmen they are of men: 
let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; 
yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together. 
The smith with the tongs, both worketh in the coals 
and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with 
the strength of his arms: yea he is hungry, and his 
strength faileth : he drinketh no water and is faint. The 
carpenter stretcheth out his rule ; he marketh it out with 
a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out 
with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a 
man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may 
remain in the house. He heweth him down cedars, and 
taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth 
for himself among the trees of the forest; he planteth 
an ash and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be 
for a man to burn : for he will take thereof, and warm 
himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, 
he maketh a god, and worshippeth if; he maketh it 
a graven image, and faileth down thereto. He burneth 
part thereof in the fire ; with part thereof he eateth flesh ; 
he roasteth roast, and is satisfied : yea, he warmeth him- 
self, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: and 



EELIGION IN GENERAL. 11 

the residue thereof he maketh a god, evenhis graven image : 
he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth 
unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. They 
have not known nor understood : for he hath shut their 
eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they can- 
not understand. And none considereth in his heart, nei- 
ther is there knowledge nor ujiderstanding to say, I have 
burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked 
bread iipon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and 
eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomi- 
nation; shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He 
feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him 
aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say. Is there 
not a lie in my right hand?" (Isa. xliv. 8 — 21). 

Jacob. This description is so true, and so completely 
turns idolatry into ridicule, that I wonder none of the 
good kings among the Israelites who threw down the 
images and burnt the groves and altars, did not make 
the priests shew the people their folly and wickedness, 
by forcing them to make use of a tree exactly as is here 
described, when I think they must have been convinced 
it was no god. But I suppose it was necessary to use 
power instead of persuasion, their reason being too much 
blinded to yield to any arguments. 

Aunt. Yes, my boy ; as in defiance of God's impera- 
tive and often-repeated commands, the Israelites had 
failed, not only to drive out and destroy the idolatrous 
nations of Canaan, but had willingly intermingled with 
them, and joined in their impious rites and sacrifices to 
false gods, He found it necessary to recall them to a 
sense of His mighty power, and of their duty to Him, 
by manifestations that would strike their senses, by 
sudden and condign punishments, and by displaying signs 



12 CONVERSATION THE FIRST. 

and wonders, sucli as neither false god, nor mortal, could 
call forth of himself 

Ruth. Well, Aunt, I should call idolatry the branch 
lines of our railroad ; because though they spring from 
the main road, leading to the chief point (a belief in a 
Supreme Power), they verge off directly into strange 
paths, until the connection is almost lost; but now for 
the main lines in our map, which run direct to the great 
centre (London); they stand, I suppose for the nations 
who do acknowledge and worship God, our Almighty 
Father? 

Aunt. You have traced out my idea very correctly, 
my love; thus Christians and Mahometans both acknow- 
ledge a God and Creator, but they differ in their opinions 
of the mode of worshipping Him, associating with their 
notions of the Supreme Divinity, other peculiar ideas, 
which form their distinctive creeds. I think, now you 
understand the meaning of religion in its general sense, 
and are, therefore, not likely to be again confused by 
its application as a term instead of creed, which, as I 
observed before, is frequently the case in speaking of a 
particular belief. 

Jacob, That is clear enough now; but will you tell 
me. Aunt, why you left out the Jewish religion, when 
naming the Christian and Mahometan, which correspond 
to two of the main lines of our railroad? There is still 
a third unoccupied, and T cannot think why you should 
have omitted it. Is it because the Jewish religion is not 
considered of as much consequence as the others, or 
that we Jews, are too few in number to be compared 
with other nations? 

Aunt. God forbid, my dear boy, that I should will- 
ingly shew the shadow of disrespect to our holy faith I 



EELIGION IN GENERAL. 13 

and I am only glad tliat your feelings should so readily 
be enlisted in its service; but, I think you will forgive 
me, Yfhen I tell you that my omission was caused, not by 
indifference, but by so great a reverence for our divine 
religion, every principle and precept of which we hold 
as a direct gift from the Almighty, that I could not bear 
to associate it with others less highly favored, and as it 
will comprise too many points of exciting interest to be 
slightly treated, I think it would be advisable not to 
commence any discussion on that subject until our next 
sabbath conversation, or we may even find it necessary 
to defer it still longer, as we have a little more to say on 
religion in general before adverting to any peculiar belief; 
and as the mutual expression of our sentiments occupies 
more time than the concise definition of a lesson-book, 
we cannot very accurately calculate on the amount of 
subject we shall discuss. As we are rather late this 
evening, the arrangement of our plan having taken up 
some time, suppose we conclude this meeting with a 
general summary of the duties and obligations imposed 
upon us by religion. You, my boy, shall describe the 
duties towards God; and you, my dear Ruth, those 
towards your fellow-creatures. 

Jacob. Our religion teaches us to believe in God, and 
to worship Him, as the Sole One, from everlasting to 
everlasting; to reverence Him as our Lord and* Creator, 
to love Him as our Father, Redeemer, and Saviour, who 
protects, guides, and supports us under affliction; and to 
fear Him as our Judge, who will reward and punish us 
according to our deserts. 

Ruth. It also teaches us to love our fellow-creatures, 
of whatever faith they may be; to be kind and con- 
siderate to the feelings of all around us, to be charitable 
both in deed and judgment, ever ready to assist the poor. 



14 CONVERSATION THE FIRST. 

and such as may need our help; to be humble in our 
opinion of ourselves, slow to anger, and strictly true and 
just in all our dealings. 

Aunt. You have gratified me more than I can express, 
my dear children, by the definitions you have given; 
and most fervently do I pray, that our Heavenly Father 
may direct the hearts of all His children to display in 
their own conduct the beauty and comfort of religion. 



% 



I 



SECOND CONVERSATION. 

ON NATUKAL RELIGION. 

Aunt, I THINK I told you last week, my dear children, 
that we had not quite completed our definition of reli- 
gion_, and will therefore resume the subject,, by informing 
you that it may be subdivided into natural and revealed 
religion^ both of which should be united in the human 
mind ; as, to a right thinker, the belief in the one leads 
direct to the other. Now try if you can explain the 
difference. 

Jacob. To reveal signifies to make known ; therefore, 
I conclude you allude to the Revelation on Mount Sinai. 

Aunt. Yery correctly defined; and we Israelites, you 
know^ acknowledge no other origin of revealed religion. 
I am all attention for the continuation. 

Jacob. Pray do not expect too much, Aunt, for I am 
afraid you will be disappointed. I do not see my way 
at all clearly in explaining natural religion. I confess^ I 
am puzzled. I have heard of natural philosophers ; have 
they anything to do with it? Let me see, like the 
Hebrew verbs, I must go back to the root, — that is, 
nature. Now what is nature? I have heard it described 
as the regular course of things and created beings, which 
we believe to have been brought into existence by a 
Great First Cause. Now, natural philosophers are clever 
men, who study the properties and workings of nature; 
jihave they natural religion, Aunty? 



16 CONVERSATION THE SECOND. 

Aunt. Why, my dear boy, they must'have very hard 
and insensible hearts, if they do not experience the effects 
of natural religion; for its signification is, a religious 
knowledge of the Creator, and a belief in His almighty 
power, derived from the study and observance of the 
works of the creation. But let me ask you, what it is 
that causes man to obtain this knowledge of natural 
religion, and to infer from it the existence of a God and 
Creator? 

Ruth. That is simple enough ; our reason, of course, 
shews it us. We see the earth, the water, the trees, the 
plants, the flowers, the sun, moon, and stars; and as our 
reason tells us they could not have made themselves, nor 
have been made by chance, naturally, we are led to be- 
lieve them the work of a Creator, whom we acknowledge 
as the Almighty God. 

Aunt. You are correct so far, my love; but now will 
you tell me what reason is? because, if we do not clearly 
understand the terms we make use of, we shall be like 
the general of an army, calculating on taking a fortress 
by storm, without knowing the strength of the outposts, 
and nature of the defences, when he would be turned 
back at every step by unexpected difficulties. 

Jacob. That is true, Aunt; for how can we ever get 
at the kernel, if we do not break the shell first? So now 
for my version. I should call reason, the power we 
have of judging between one thing and another. Is it 
not so ? 

Aunt. Yes, you have commenced rightly, but reason 
does still more than that : now, for instance, suppose you 
were to put an extinguisher over this candle, what would 
be the consequence? 

Ruth. Why, it would go out for want of air to sus- 
tain the flame. 



NATURAL RELIGION. 17 

Aunt. Well then, you see reason makes you here dis- 
<jover the connection between the cause and the effect; 
the want of air would be the cause of the flame being 
extinguished — the extinction of the flame, the effect of 
that cause. Keason also helps you to distinguish between 
true and false, between right and wrong; it enables you 
to draw conclusions from certain facts and evidence, and 
to select the most probable. Let us again put a suppo- 
sititious case. We will imagine you acquainted with two 
persons of totally opposite characters; the one you had 
always found strictly truthful, amiable, but reserved ; the 
•other amusing and plausible, but not over-scrupulous as 
regards truth. We are now to suppose them relating a 
conversation^ at which you are aware both were present ; 
you are particularly interested in hearing all the details, 
as the subject, having reference immediately to yourself, 
was the opinion of your disposition and attainments, 
expressed by one whom you had always regarded as a 
sincere friend. But the versions, though not entirely 
different, are of such a nature, as to make you feel from 
the one report, that you had been unkindly mentioned ; 
from the other, that you had been treated with affection 
and justice. Now, with your experience of their re- 
spective characters, which of the two would you be in- 
-clined to believe? 

Jacob. Certainly the one whom I had always found 
truthful. 

Aunt. Therefore, you perceive, that your reason here 
assists your judgment; it leads you to infer, that he 
■whom you have never had occasion to distrust, is the 
most worthy of credence. I do not say that you may 
not often decide wrongfully, for we are all liable to error ; 
•circumstances and prejudices also frequently mislead us; 
still, there is little doubt but that the glorious faculty of 

c 



18 SECOND CONVERSATION. 

reason, so mercifully and specially vouclisafed to mankind , 
if properly and fairly exercised, most materially influ- 
ences our perception of right and wrong, serving as a 
powerful agent in deducing correct inferences, from cer- 
tain facts. I would now ask you, if this inestimable gift 
of reason is peculiar to man, or do the brute creation 
enjoy it in common with us? 

Jacob. No; we believe that God lias only endowed 
them with instinct; though in some animals, like the 
dog, etc., it seems almost to approach to reason; they 
have no soul; they — 

Aunt. Stop, my boy; you have just made use of two 
words that require explanation. 

Jiuth. I wish then you would take them for your 
share. Aunt; for though I seem to understand them my- 
self, I am sure I cannot find words to explain them 
clearly; it is something like knowing the general sense 
of a sentence in German, without being able to translate 
it literally. 

Aunt. Well, then, I must try what I can do for you; 
but as it is rather difficult to simplify such a subject, 
you must ask again and again ^ till you comprehend it 
perfectly. We will commence with the soul. You 
know that God is a Spirit, and cannot be seen by mortal 
eye. 

Jacob. What is a spirit? 

Aunt. A spirit may be defined as a living, invisible 
being, possessed of reason, power, and will. You can, 
I am sure, recognise all these faculties in the works of 
the Almighty, and yet you cannot see Him who exercises 
them; for we read in Exodus xxxiii. 20: *' And He said 
to him [Moses], Thou canst not see my face, for no man 
can see me and live." Now when God breathed into 
the body of man the breath of life, in common with 



NATURAL RELIGION. 19 

other animals, He at once graciously raised liim im- 
measurably above tliem; by the additional gift of an 
inward spirit, which we call soul or mind. 

Ruth. But, Annt, you cannot mean that man is a 
spirit; we can both see and feel him. 

Aunt, ^o, my love; not as far as his body is con- 
cerned, which when he dies, will return to the dust 
from which it was created; but the exercise of his mental 
faculties is the effect of the spirit within him, invisible, 
though ever acting, which as I said before, we call the 
soul. Having given you a slight idea of this subject, I 
shall not enlarge on it at present, as it is too abstract for 
your comprehension at this stage of our discussion; but 
we shall have occasion to resume it some time hence, in 
treating of rewards and punishments, and the duties for 
which we are accountable, through the working of the 
soul or spirit. Let us, however, consider the 2?th verse 
of chap. i. of Genesis. 

" So God created man in His own image, in the image 
of God created He him; both male and female created 
He them." 

Jacob, I see your intention in selecting this verse. 
Aunt; the word image, cannot refer to bodily likeness, 
for as God has said, " No man can see my face and live;" 
it would be great wickedness to ascribe to man any 
likeness or similitude to Him ; but as we know God to 
be a Spirit, possessed of power, reason, and will, when 
" He made man in His own image, it was through the 
spirit or soul which He breathed into us, and which at 
our death will, not like the body, return to dust, but to 
Him who gave it. 

Aunt. I am quite pleased to find you so clear on this 
subject; your interpretation of that ver§e is perfectly 
correct, and now we will proceed to the definition of 



20 SECOND CONVERSATION. 

Instinct. Instinct is an inward feeling, an impulse that 
God lias implanted in the brute creation in common 
witli mankind, in whom it is conjoined with reason^ in a 
pre-eminent degree. This impulse the animal obeys 
involuntarily, whether in shunning danger or satisfying 
its natural wants. It is hungry, — instinct teaches it 
to prowl about for prey; its young are attacked, — it 
defends them with its life. See the care with which 
the parent birds build their nests and guard their 
offspring ! This is merely the effect of instinct. Let 
us suppose a lion in the Zoological Gardens to have been 
heedlessly kept without his accustomed food for many 
hours beyond his ordinary time of feeding, and that the 
keeper were unknowingly to enter the den to perform 
his usual offices, there is a great chance but that the 
unfortunate man would be torn to pieces by the ravenous 
beast, whose instinct would prompt him to satisfy his 
hunger at any cost. What is it but instinct that prompts 
the lion, tiger, elephant, horse (in fact I will name only 
the nobler and more courageous animals as examples), to 
iiy at the first glimpse of a serpent? They have not, 
like man, the power of reasoning on the dangers to be 
apprehended from it, yet inward terror seizes them, and 
urges them to seek escape from their dreadful enemy. 

Jacob. Well, now that we have conquered the out- 
posts, soul and instinct, let us return to natural religion, 
which we have left quite in the back-ground. 

Aunt. I am very willing to do so, as I think you can 
now both feel and understand, how the soul or spirit 
within us enables us to discover the Creator in His 
works. Let us first take the Host of Heaven under our 
notice, the sun, moon, planets, and countless stars; does 
it not strike you, that besides the marvel of their cre- 
ation, which we did not behold, there are still some 



NATURAL RELIGION. 21 

peculiar facts in relatioi) to them_, of whicli we are daily 
eye-witnesses, and which, if properly considered and 
appreciated,, must lead our thoughts in awe and gratitude 
to their, and our Divine Creator. 

Ruth. I know what you mean. Aunt; the daily 
course of the sun, which never varies: rising in the east, 
it gives light and heat to the world by day, and having 
travelled its appointed circuity sets in the west, when it 
gives place to the moon, which, with the stars, gives light 
by night. The moon also has its prescribed course; 
commencing almost at nought, it gradually increases 
during fourteen or fifteen days, when it attains its full 
size ; from thence it decreases in the same proportion of 
time to its first point, and so on without intermission. 
Then there is the . division of the seasons, and of day 
and night. It is very wonderful if we observe how 
unchangeable the same routine is pursued. What a 
lovely day we have just enjoyed ! The sun has been 
shining brilliantly, everything looking bright, and as if 
it must last so; yet how gradually the light has de- 
creased ! Little by little it vanished from before us, 
until darkness came on, and now it is night. 

Jacob. Yes, but the moon is rising, and the stars 
peeping out; and even if it were too dark to see them, 
we know that in a certain number of hours the darkness 
will again give place to light. it is a beautiful sight 
to see the sun rise — to watch the first streaks of grey in 
the sky, with the clouds of night gradually rolling 
away before the many-tinted vapours that precede the 
rising sun. I often enjoy the pleasure of watching it^ 
for I like to rise early, particularly in the summer; the 
air is so sweet and fresh, the quietness so delightful, 
merely broken by the morning carol of the birds as they 
leave their nests; it is my favourite time for study, my 



22 SECOND CONVERSATION. 

brains are refreslied by sleep ; and I always find tbey do 
me better service than at nighty when I am wearied with 
the work and bustle of the day. Shall I call you to- 
morrow in time to welcome the sun, Ruth? 

Ruth. Yes, pray do, for it seems to have quite a fresh 
interest for me. "What a strange feeling it is to see 
things in a new light ! You know, Aunt, you made us 
promise not to conceal anything from you ; therefore I 
"will summon courage to confess, that I am afraid I have 
never before thought sufficiently of the goodness of God 
in regard to the heavens. 1 do not mean that I did not 
know they were the work of His creation; but we enjoy 
the light and heat from the sun so regularly, that it has 
seemed a matter of- course. When any excursion has 
been planned, I have been very glad of a fine, bright 
day; but I see now that I have never been properly 
grateful for what we receive every day and hour. 

Aunt. Do you know the reason, my love? Because 
you have not accustomed yourself to trace everything to 
a Divine Source. Every atom in nature is so beautifully 
arranged, and so ready to our hand, that I am afraid 
but too many of us grasp and enjoy without casting 
more than a passing thought to the Great Giver : indeed, 
we have unfortunately worse than that with which to 
reproach ourselves; we have not only been unthankful, 
we have also been rebellious. Can any of us look back 
without acknowledging to having murmured at wet 
weather having perhaps disappointed' us of some ex- 
pected pleasure? Too frequently have we heard the 
exclamation: '* How tiresome ! it always rains when I am 
going outP Surely if we reflected but a moment, we 
should be shocked at our sinfulness and presumption. 
What are we, that we should dare to put our plans and 
wishes in the balance with Bis Will, whose every dis- 



NATURAL RELIGION. 23 

^ensation, both in great and small, is for the general 
good of mankind, and directed by His wisdom. *' When 
I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy finger, the 
moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained ; what is 
man that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, 
that Thou visitest him?" (Psa. viii. 3 — 5). 

Jacob, I shall try not to forget this in future, and 
hope it will teach me reflection, and serve as a check, 
when I am disposed to murmur at the w^eather and un- 
foreseen events, which I fear has too often been the case; 
but really. Aunt, people do not generally think so 
seriously on this subject; and yet I feel you are quite 
right in your observations, for if we do not accustom 
ourselves to submit cheerfully under trifling disappoint- 
ments; how shall we ever be able to bear the more 
severe trials to which we must be subject through life? 

Aunt. You have made a very just remark, my dear 
boy; although we must not practise submission as a 
mere matter of expediency; it is a duty we are called 
upon to fulfil; but can you not see that it is because we 
do not think seriously on the goodness of God, as re- 
jected in His works around us, that we are so disposed 
to murmur at the slightest thing that obstructs our path ? 
We are ready enough to admire, and express our wonder 
at the work of man's hands. Our public buildings, our 
scientific discoveries, our improvements, our works of 
art, all excite our praise and admiration, while we pass 
by the daily recurring wonders of Nature with scarcely 
XI transient thought. Let us now picture the ocean with 
its raging billows, as we saw it last year at Brighton: 
'do you not remember the fearful storm we witnesssed 
one afternoon? How grand! how magnificent were 
the waves ! did it not seem as if nought could prevent 
them rushing on to inundate the land ? And yet — 



2i SECOND CONVERSATION. 

" The floods, Lord, laise themselves up, they lifV 
up their voice ; and the floods raise up their waves : yet 
mightier than the voice of the assembled waters, than 
the powerful billows of the ocean, art Thou in Thine- 
eminence, Lord " (Psa. xciii. 3 — 5). 

'' Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble 
at my presence, which have placed the sand for the 
bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot 
pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, 
yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they 
not pass over it?" (Jer. v. 22). 

They may lash themselves in their fury, but beyond a 
certain point they dare not pass; their boundary is- 
appointed. But now, to reverse the picture: how agree- 
ably were we surprised the following morning, to find 
the sea calm and placid as a lake, without a trace of the 
previous night's storm ! Is not such a transition sufficient 
to impress the most ignorant and even wilfully blind? 
Is it not calculated to make them feel and acknowledge 
the existence of a High and Mighty Power, superintend- 
ing and regulating the universe? We cannot stir from' 
our fire-side, we cannot take a turn in our garden (to 
say nothing of a wider range), without at every step 
meeting some memorial of God's power and goodness. 
Why, in your little plot of ground that you and Ruth 
take such pleasure in cultivating, you may prosecute 
your study of Natural Eeligion. The very seeds you 
have sown, from whence do they come?— but as God 
said, from " the herb bearing seed," and " from a tree- 
in the which is the fruit of a tree bearing seed" .... 
You water the ground and remove the insects, but with 
all your care you can do no more; and yet gradually 
you behold the first growth and unfolding of the leaves- 
— you are delighted to find some closely folded buds,. 



NATURAL RELIGION. 25 

the germ of the future flower, wliicli after a time ex- 
pands its petals, and your plant is perfect. Now what 
share have you had in this transformation from the seed 
to the plant? Your care and watering might have been, 
and most probably were accessory to it, for the study of 
botany has taught us that culture is necessary to the 
growth of certain plants, while others (wild flowers), 
spring up and flourish in unbounded luxuriance, 
nourished only by the refreshing dews from heaven; 
but then the power of germination, or shooting forth, 
must have been given to the seed, or neither time nor 
trouble would avail. Here, again, we recognise the 
All-directing hand of the Almighty. Nothing is too 
insignificant for His fostering care, for all is alike the 
work of His creation. 

Ruth. The study of natural philosophy must be very 
interesting, Aunt; and I can now feel how it must lead 
to a belief in a Great Creator, because at every step we 
take, we cannot avoid discovering fresh signs of His 
power. I do not know if I am right, but it seems to 
me that we ought to be taught Natural Keligion before 
Eevealed; because if we have learned to see God's 
power in all around us, and to bless His goodness for 
everything we enjoy, we shall be the more anxious to 
understand His will, and to obey it. 

Aunt. Quite right, my love; but on looking back, 
does it not strike you now that you have both been 
instructed in Natural Keligion from your earliest child- 
hood? 

Jacob. yes; I can remember dear papa and mamma, 
and you too, Aunt, when we were quite little children, 
telling us in what we then thought pretty tales, all about 
God's love and care of us; and that all we enjoyed, 
health, food, clothing, etc., were His gifts. How child- 



26 SECOND CONVERSATION. 

isli it all seems now ; but I know I have never forgotten 
expressing my surprise, for I thought papa gave mamma 
money to purchase things for us; upon which he took 
pains to shew us how grateful we ought to be, for that 
it was only through God^s mercy, in granting hira health 
to work, and blessing his endeavours, that he was enabled 
to do so. And then, again, he made it clear how useless 
all the gold he earned would be in feeding us, if our 
Heavenly Father had not caused the earth to bring forth 
bread, and all kind of herbs, as well as created animals, 
certain of which He permits us to kill for food. How 
happy we were that day ! I was sitting on papa's knee, 
and you, Euth, were on a stool at mamma's feet. 

Ruth. O yes, 1 can recall it all; how we began at 
first reading a couple of verses from the Bible every 
morning, and so gradually arrived at a whole chapter; 
we found it very uninteresting at the commencement, but 
now we are reaping the benefit, are we not. Aunt? 

Aunt. You are, indeed, my dear children, and you need 
not feel for a moment ashamed of these childish remem- 
brances; believe me, they are precious memorials, which 
you cannot value too highly. Many a sin has been pre- 
vented in after-life by the sudden recollection of some 
word of advice or instruction from a parent's lips; and 
blessed are they who, like yourselves, have derived their 
knowledge of Natural Religion from such a source. 



THIRD CONVERSATION. 

ON THE DIVINITY OF THE BIBLE. 

Ruth. You cannot imagine, dear Aunt, witli wliat 
pleasure we have been looking forward all tlie week to 
our nice Sabbath Evening Conversation, or I think I 
may give it the higher title of Discussion; for as you 
encourage us to express our sentiments and opinions 
freely, it certainly may lay claim to that distinction. 

Jacob. Our religious studies have acquired quite a 
fresh interest, since you have so kindly consented to 
become the referee for all our doubts and difficulties; 
and we have agreed to make notes through the week as 
the subjects arise, on which we should like a more 
lengthened explanation than the lesson-book affords. 
Now is not that a good plan? I know you will say, 
that we cannot at present require any further information 
than we find in ]\Ir. Leeser's Catechism, and Miss Pei- 
xotto's Bible Questions, which, with selections from 
Scripture, form the course of our religious instruction: 
but, Aunty, when you were young, and studying as we 
are now, did you never feel, that although the subject 
might be stated ever so clearly, there were still at times 
some ideas and doubts in your mind that required to be 
explained and satisfied? Did you never long for some 
kind friend to whom you could express freely all you 
felt and thought, without having the fear of being 



28 THIRD CONVERSATION. 

lauglied at for your ignorance, or deemed presumptuous 
for questioning any fact laid before you? 

Aunt. Yes, my boy; I have not only in cHldhood, 
but even in later years, often felt most painfully the need 
yo"u have described; and truly thankful am I that it is 
in my power, in however slight a degree, to remedy this 
want to you both. You need never fear to weary me 
with your inquiries, nor to be laughed at for your 
ignorance, always provided it be not wilfully maintained, 
by a want of moral courage to seek information. We 
should think it the extreme of folly, were a person 
afflicted with some bodily disease, to conceal it from his 
physician from false delicacy, thereby rejecting all chance 
of a cure; and as we connot but regard ignorance as a 
disease of the mind, we ought courageously to seek 
every opportunity of finding a remedy. King Solomon 
says: — 

" Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth 
instruction, but he that regardeth reproof shall be 
honoured " (Prov. xiii. 18) . 

" Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man 
that getteth understanding " {lb. iii. 13). 

" She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: 
and happy is every one that retaineth her " [lb. iii. 18). 

I suppose, however, we are to commence this evening 
on Revealed Eeligion ; or is there any point you wish 
previously to discuss? 

Jacob, Why, if you have no objection, I have a few 
questions to ask first, which I think even may serve as 
an introduction to Revealed Religion. Professor Hurst 
has given us a fortnight to write a theme on the Divinity 
of the Old Testament; and, at the same time, has per- 
mitted us to seek information either from books or 
persons, as we may best be able ; we are then to make a 



21G X6'i<t 

THE DIVINITY OF THE BIBLE. 29 

short abstract of all we have collected. Now, as I am 
the youngest in the class, I am rather anxious not to be 
outdone, and wish you would let this be the subject of 
our conversation this evening. 

Aunt. With pleasure, my dear boy: and, as you say, 
it will be a very appropriate introduction to Revealed 
Religion; for if we do not believe in the source from 
whence we profess to derive the knowledge of religion, 
we cannot have any real faith in its doctrines. But 
what are the terms of your proposition? 

Jacob. " How do we know that the Old Testament 
or Bible is indeed the word of God?^^ The question 
arose from the explanation of the word Deist, which 
means a person who believes in the existence of a God, 
but not in revealed religion ; or rather I should say, that 
he professes to disbelieve that the Bible is the Word of 
God, 

Aunt. You have given a very clear definition of the 
misguided Deist; and now your task, if I understand it 
right, is to furnish proofs that the five books of the Law 
were written by Moses at the command of God; also to 
shew that the record of facts in them, and the writings 
of the prophets, were the inspiration of the same cause. 
How do you commence? 

Jacob. That is what puzzles me : we know the Bible 
to be the Word of God, and we believe it; but still I am 
afraid I shall not be able to give good reasons for doing 
so. I have never thought much about it before ; I took 
it for granted, yet when Mr. Hurst proposed the ques- 
tion, I felt at the moment as if I could have at once 
named one proof, only as I was not sure if my idea were 
correct, I did not like to run the chance of being laughed 
at by the whole class,, so I thought I would consult you 
first, and if it met your approval, I could then make use 



30 THIRD CONVERSATION. 

of it as the gronnd-work of my theme. It strikes me, 
we Jews offer one of the strongest proofs of the Bible 
being the Word of God, and I have met with a passage 
in Isaiah which proclaims it in plain terms: — 

" Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant 
whom I have chosen : that ye may know and believe me, 
and understand that I am He: before me there was no 
God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, 
am the Lord; and beside me there is no Saviour. I 
have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed when 
there was no strange ffod among you: therefore ye are 
my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God" (Isaiah xliii. 
10—13). 

Aunt. Yes, both ancient and modern history confirm 
this statement; and I am very much pleased to find that 
you have seized on (In my opinion) the most important 
proof of the divinity of the Bible. When we think of 
the thousands of years the Jews have existed as a nation, 
what trials and persecutions they have undergone, how 
they have been hunted from kingdom to kingdom, scat- 
tered north, south, east and west, we cannot doubt their 
being the witnesses of whom the prophet speaks. We 
are fewer in number than any other people, yet we exist, 
while greater and mightier nations have disappeared from 
the face of the earth, leaving only a few monuments to 
commemorate their existence — witness the Egyptians, 
Phoenicians, Syrians, Chaldeans, Grecians, Romans, etc., 
in spite of all hardships we increase and multiply; in- 
deed, there is hardly a country where some Jews are not 
found. The history of the Jewish nation since the 
destruction of the second temple, so exactly corresponds 
to the prophecy of Moses, in Deuteronomy, that it would 
seem rather to have been written after, than so many cen- 
turies before, the events he prophesied took place. You 



THE DIVINITY OF THE BIBLE. 31 

miglit, I tKink, insert the extract in your theme; for it 
will be most interesting to trace out the striking analogy 
that is discoverable through the whole history of the 
Jews, up to the present day, with that prediction ; more 
particularly, as it is so repeatedly corroborated by the 
later prophets. There can be no doubt as to our identity ; 
there has been no break in our existence as an individual 
nation, however much we may have been scattered far 
and wide; therefore the records that descend from father 
to son furnish us with sufficient proof of our being the 
descendants of the same people whom Moses lead out of 
Egypt, under God's direction and guidance; and as re- 
gards the world generally, the well attested fact^ that 
every prophecy throughout the Bible respecting the Jews, 
both in our past and present history, has been and is 
being fulfilled only in ourselves, must satisfactorily sub- 
stantiate our claim to be " the witnesses of the Lord."*' 
But now^ Euth, my love, let me see if you can select the 
right extract ; and I think it \7ill be advisable to take each 
verse separately under consideration, as we shall then be 
able to discover the application more clearly than viewing 
it as a whole; or, at least, it will impress it more forcibly 
on your minds. 

Ruth. After describing to the Israelites the blessings 
for obedience, and the curses for disobedience, the latter 
of which were completely verified at the siege of Jeru- 
salem and destruction of the second temple, by the Koman 
emperor Titus, Moses says (Deut. xxviii. 62-68): " And 
ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the 
stars of the heaven for multitude ; because thou wouldest 
not obey the voice of the Lord thy God." 

Jacob. There is no doubt but that this prophecy is 
fulfilled in us, for where is there a nation so small as we 
are? As a drop of water to the ocean, a grain to a ton. 



32 THIRD CONVERSATION. 

are we in proportion to the other inhabitants of the 
world. 

Ruth. ^' And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord 
rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; 
so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to 
bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from ofl 
the land whither thou goest to possess it." 

Aunt. Here^ again, we can trace the fulfilment of the 
prediction. " God had rejoiced over us to do us good " — 
He had redeemed us from our bondage in Egypt, by such 
signs and wonders as have never, either before or after, 
been witnessed by mortal man. He had led and sus- 
tained us in the wilderness for a period of forty years, 
and had at length established us in the promised land of 
Canaan, with a kingdom and priesthood^ and all the 
signs of temporal prosperity. What had we to do in 
return for all these benefits? What was required of us ? 
Nothing, but to serve the Lord our God, who had dealt 
so bountifully with us, to obey His commandments, and 
to follow the dictates of the glorious code of laws which 
He had graciously bestowed on us, on Mount Sinai, 
through Moses our prophet and lawgiver. Did we fulfil 
what was expected of us? Did we evince even a mode- 
rate portion of gratitude for the unexampled mercies we 
had been and were receiving ? Alas, no ! We rebelled 
times innumerable ; with the blackest ingratitude, we 
banished the remembrance of all the benefits we had re- 
ceived, neglected the worship of the One Sole God, 
and, in defiance of His repeated commands and pro- 
hibitions, intermingled with the surrounding nations, and 
adopted their idolatrous practices. But even then, not at 
once did our punishment come upon us. God, in His 
infinite mercy, gave us repeated warnings ; over and over 
again were we exhorted to repent and to return to our 



I 



THE DIVINITY OF THE BIBLE. 33 

duty_, but we would not listen; we yielded ourselves a 
willing prey to sin and wickedness, till at length the 
long-threatened thunderbolt fell; our kingdom was torn 
from us, our temple and palaces were burnt, our glory 
was brought "to nought," and the remnant of those who 
escaped from the sword, famine, and pestilence, were 
literally " plucked from their land," and carried away 
captive by their conquerors. 

Ruth. Will you tell me. Aunt, why, in relating this, 
you express yourself we did so^ etc. ; as the present gene- 
ration of Jews had nothing to do with those events. 

Aunt. Correctly speaking, I believe I should have 
said our forefathers acted thus ; but, in the same manner 
that the Englishman of the present day identifies himself 
with the past, and, in speaking of the victories of Nelson 
or Wellington, will exclaim with triumph, we gained such 
and such battles; so, to the modern Jews, every incident 
of their former history is, or ought to be, so closely en- 
twined with their inmost feelings and hopes for the future, 
that it is scarcely possible to disconnect ourselves of the 
idea of having participated in what interests us so greatly. 
We will now consider the next verse, which we shall find 
equally borne out by our history. 

Ruth. "" And the Lord shall scatter thee among the 
people, from the one end of the earth even unto the 
other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which 
neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and 
stone.-'^ 

Aunt. This verse, I should say, applies to the trans- 
gressions which caused the Babylonian, as well as our 
present captivity. In the former case, it is unfortunately 
true, that the Israelites voluntarily adopted the idolatrous 
practices of the different nations who dwelt among and 
around them, worshipping and offering up sacrifices to 

D 



34 THIRD CONVERSATIOlSr. 

tlieir gods — idols — " even of wood and stone ^'; whereas^ 
after tlie destruction of the second temple by Titus, those 
who escaped from the horrors of the siege and the exter- 
minating sword and pestilence, were truly driven out of 
the Holy Land, and " scattered among the people, from one 
end of the earth even unto the other ^^ and in many lands^ 
particularly where Catholicism prevailed, they were com- 
pelled {then^ against their will) to conceal their own faith^ 
and to conform, outwardly, to idolatry. 

The remaining three verses we shall find likewise fully 
exemplified. 

"And among those nations shalt thou find no ease, 
neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest; but the Lord 
shall give thee there a trembling of heart, and failing of 
eyes, and sorrow of mind. And thy life shall hang in 
doubt before thee, and thou shalt fear day and night, and 
shalt have none assurance of thy life. In the morning 
thou shalt say, Would God it were even ! and at even 
thou shalt say. Would God it were morning ! for the fear 
of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight 
of thine eyes which thou shalt see." 

How different is our position now to what it was at 
the commencement of our punishment ! Blessed be God, 
who has permitted the hearts of the nations gradually to 
soften towards us ! For we are now, in many lands, en- 
joying not only a respite from persecution, but peace and 
comfort ; and are even honored and recognised as fellow- 
citizens, by our Gentile brethren. But have we not in- 
deed been massacred, have we not perished by hundreds 
at the stake, and endured all kinds of tortures in defence 
of our faith, among the nations where we have been 
scattered? Have we not been obliged to observe our 
religion in the greatest secrecy, to give up all ceremonial 
observances which could betray us, to flee at a moment's 



THE DIVINITY OF THE BIBLE. 35 

warning from our hearths and homes, under the constant 
dread of the horrors of the Inquisition, and other perse- 
cutions, in the various countries of our dispersion^ so that 
truly ^' there was no rest for the soles of our feet, and we 
feared day and night " ? To what nation but to us have 
such events happened? Is there an instance on record, 
of the like having occurred to any other people ? Surely 
not; we stand alone as a " peculiar people"; but I have 
still another instance to bring forth in proof of our being 
the living witnesses for the truth of Scripture. In Psalm 
xliv. 13-15, we find: " Thou madest us a reproach to our 
neighbours; a scorn and derision to them that are round 
about us. Thou madest us a byword amongst the nations, 
a shaking of the head among the people." 

Young as you are, my dear children, you have most 
probably had the opportunity both of hearing and 
noticing, that, notwithstanding the toleration and kind- 
ness we are experiencing from our Gentile brethren, the 
term Jew is still made use of occasionally by some of 
them as a mark of reproach, a byword ; how much more 
then was it so in former years, in the commencement of 
our captivity and punishment, under the influence of a 
lower state of civilisation, when the unfortunate Jew was 
regarded as an outcast, a thing to be despised and trampled 
on ! Still, this very fulfilment of the prophecy, instead 
of causing us to shrink within ourselves, and to conceal 
our origin, as has been, and is still at times, unfortunately 
the case — this visible working out of God's word, should 
rather make us hail the title of Jew with pride and grati- 
tude ; for we cannot but regard it as the outward badge 
of the Israelite, of that highly favoured nation, to whom 
such a glorious hereafter of redemption and happiness is 
promised, when we shall have repented of our sins, and 
returned unto the Lord our God with all our heart and 



36 THIRD CONVERSATION. 

witK all our soul. We have seen and are experiencing 
the fulfilment of the one prophecy, how can we doubt 
but that the other will, in God's appointed time, be 
equally verified ! 

Ruth. I do not think any one could with reason, 
advance an argument against this; and, of course, as 
most of the after prophets foretold the circumstances of 
our present dispersion among the different nations of the 
globe, these nations, being themselves eye-witnesses of, 
and assistants in, the fulfilment of the prophecies, can 
hardly entertain a doubt of their having been the in- 
spiration of God^ of which I think the present state of 
Palestine or the Holy Land, since the dispersion, also 
offers additional proof. 

Aunt. You are quite right; we do indeed realise the 
fearful truth of the numerous predictions respecting the 
land of Canaan (the home of the Israelites) ; for through 
whatever climes we may be scattered, however pros- 
perously we may be situated, we are still but wanderers, 
awaiting with confidence our restoration to our Promised 
Land, our home, and haven of rest. But I should tell 
yoUj that not by the Jews alone^ but by both Christians 
and Mahometans, is Palestine also regarded as sacred 
ground; and the struggles to gain and retain possession 
of it, gave rise to the frequent crusades of which you 
read in history. Up to this moment, the prophecy in 
Isaiah xxxiii. 8 — 10 is being worked out before our eyes. 

" The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth : he 
hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he 
regardeth no man. The earth mourneth and languisheth : 
Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a 
wilderness ; and Bashan and Carmel shake off thei7' 
fruits^ 

The Holy Land, in its present state of desolation, 



THE DIVINITY OF THE BIBLE. 37 

offers a true picture of the humiliation of the Jewish 
nation, as foretold by the prophets; the cities of Judah 
no longer resound with the hum and noise of the busy 
multitude; the land is untilled, and literally enjoying 
its sabbaths; the voice of the husbandman is silent; the 
boundary-line of the respective tribes of Israel is de- 
stroyed, and the glory of Jerusalem, our holy city, has 
vanished. Her temple and palaces are razed to the 
ground, and strangers now traffic in the gates, through 
which the males of the chosen people joyfully entered at 
the three appointed festivals every year, to bring their 
offerings to the sanctuary of their God. Travellers, both 
ancient and modern, all agree in verifying this descrip- 
tion of the Holy Land, and thus unite in bearing witness 
to the Divine inspiration of the prophecies. 

Jacob. But Aunt, although we have so far satis- 
factorily proved the Divinity of the Bible, as regards 
the prophecies, I do not see that the same rule exactly 
applies to the laws of the Pentateuch; we know and 
believe them to have been the Word of God, delivered 
through Moses the prophet; and the extraordinary ful- 
filment we have traced out of his powerful predictions, 
should alone make us believe in his having been en- 
trusted with this glorious mission likewise: but how are 
we to prove it; what evidence can we bring forward, 
that the revelation on Sinai was really of Divine origin, 
and not the fruit of man^s wisdom ? 

Aunt, Why, as there are certainly no living witnesses 
to bring forward in support of the fact, I should rather 
advise our looking into the nature of some of the laws, 
when I am sure that we shall not fail to be struck with 
certain peculiar features in their constitution, shewing 
indisputably at once, the impossibility of their having 
emanated from other than a Divine Source; as in many 



38 THIRD CONVERSATION. 

cases tlie conditions annexed to them could only liave 
been fulfilled through the agency of a Higher Power, 
causing the hearts of His creatures and the course of 
events to work together in bringing about the desired 
end. Let us, for instance, take the institution of the 
Sabbatical year, as our first example : — 

" Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years 
thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit 
thereof; but in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of 
rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt 
neither sow thy fields nor prune thy vineyard. That 
which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou 
shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine 
undressed : for it is a year of rest unto the land. And 
the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you ; for thee, 
and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired 
servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, 
and for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, 
shall all the increase thereof be meat " (Lev. xxv. 3 — 8). 

Kow will you tell me if you think it probable, that 
any human legislator could or would have dared to frame 
such a law with any reasonable hopes of seeing it carried 
into efifect, or could have made such a promise? 

Ruth. I should think it more likely that he would 
have been regarded and treated as a lunatic. 

Aunt. You are not far wrong; and most probably 
such would have been the case in this instance with 
Moses, through whom the law was transmitted to the 
Israelites, had they not recognised in him the messenger 
of God, and consequently believed in the promises of 
support and compensation for the prescribed year of 
rest — the sabbath of the Lord. 

'' And if ye shall say, "What shall we eat the seventh 
year ? Behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our 



THE DIVINITY OF THE BIBLE. 39 

increase : then I will command my blessing upon you in 
the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three 
years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of 
old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in 
ye shall eat o/the old store''^ (Lev. xxv. 20 — 23). 

Man is not prone to relinquish the means of acquiring 
wealth, either of his own accord or at the behest of a 
fellow-man; and to the Israelites, husbandry was the 
medium of such acquisition, in fact of their subsistence, 
consequently, had they not regarded the command for 
the observance of the sabbatical year^ as emanating from 
the Deity, whose power and mercy had never hitherto 
failed them, it would have been infringed from the first, 
whereas we know that it was observed and acted on, and 
not until it was disregarded, did famine and want per- 
vade the land, when by the intermixture with the 
idolatrous nations of Canaan, the grasping nature of 
man broke forth, and not content with being actually 
fed and provided for during three years, without their 
own labour, the ungrateful Jews disobeyed the law, and 
cut off from the land its " Sabbaths." 

Jacob. The peculiar nature of this law, and the 
circumstances attending it undoubtedly proclaim its 
Divine origin; and now that you have given me a clue, 
I think I can name another equally striking. You know 
we are commanded: — 

^' Thrice in the year shall your men children appear 
before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I will cast 
out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: 
neither shall any man desire thy land^ when thou shalt 
go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the 
year '' (Exod. xxxiv. 23—25). 

NoWj my dear Aunt, where is the likelihood that any 
human lawgiver would have deliberately ordered all the 



40 THIRD CONVERSATION. 

male population to leave the frontiers of tlieir dominions 
three times every year at the mercy of the surrounding 
nations? And even if he had been insane enough to 
do so, is there a chance that they would willingly have 
forsaken their families and property at the command of 
a mere mortal like themselves? I never read anything 
at all resembling this in either ancient or modern history^ 
as far at least as I have advanced; it is against every 
calculation of worldly prudence^ and therefore shews the 
more forcibly its Divine origin. 

Aunt. You have selected a very good example, and 
reasoned correctly on it; we know that the Israelites 
were in a measure literally encompassed by the hostile 
nations, whom they had failed to root out and destroy ; 
the predatory Arabs were at their very doors, only 
awaiting the opportunity of pouncing on prey and spoil; 
therefore what power but that of the Almighty, to whom 
all is alike feasible, could venture to promise that land and 
property should be undisturbed during the prescribed 
periodical visits of the males to the sanctuary of their 
God? Surely the realization of such a promise, with, 
to human foresight, such insurmountable obstacles, bears 
in itself the impress of the Infinite Power and Wisdom,, 
which alone could turn the hearts of the nations from 
their lawless habits, and inspire the children of the Most 
High with faith sufficient to leave their all under His 
protecting care, and hostile inroads did not take place 
until this command was neglected. 

Ruth. The nature of the laws you have just mentioned^ 
offers ; I should say, quite sufficient evidence of the 
Divine origin of the whole of the Mosaic code ; for we 
cannot for a moment suppose, that God would have 
allowed His great truths to have been promulgated with 
anything questionable; and I also think, that the un- 



THE DIVINITY OF THE BIBLE. 41 

doubted fact of the laws of tlie Pentateuch, having 
remained unaltered and in force among us through so 
many years, is another strong proof that they were not 
invented and compiled by man. Am I right? 

Aunt, Quite so^ my love; though I do not think you 
could exactly tell me your reasons for asserting that they 
have remained unaltered, consequently I must find some 
for you, as I wish you to stand on solid ground. The 
Patriarch Jacob, in his prophecy to Judah, says — " The 
sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver 
from between his feet," etc.; and, undoubtedly, most 
literally has this been hitherto fulfilled; for at no time, 
either in our prosperity or captivity, have there been 
wanting pious and learned men, expounders of our holy 
law : one generation has succeeded another, the members 
of each in their turn becoming recipients and guardians 
of the Divine precepts, which, descending from father 
to son, could not have been altered without the cogni- 
zance and observation of the Hebrew nation, and also of 
the world generally. Therefore, when we reflect with 
gratitude on the mercy that permits us, "the peculiar 
people,'' to be guided at this present day by the same 
unaltered code vouchsafed to us at Sinai; while the 
other nations of the earth, such as the Egyptians, 
Grecians, Romans, etc., all had their individual body of 
laws, of which there is not now a trace existing; — when 
we reflect how completely they have passed into oblivion 
with their respective kingdoms, we cannot but acknow- 
ledge in our inmost soul, that human wisdom alone 
could not have compiled the glorious code, which has 
thus outlived and withstood the brunt of ages, its 
doctrines spreading far and wide, and undoubtedly 
more of less influencing the respective legislation of the 
different countries; for there is no doubt but that all 



42 THIRD CONVERSATION. 

religions that claim to be founded on revelation, appeal 
to the one on Sinai as a stay and support. That, on 
the contrary^ appeals to none, for it is the spring of 
life from the fountain-head — from the Eternal, our 
Lord. 

Jacob. That is undoubtedly true, Aunt ; and now I 
would ask you, where can the laws of England, or of 
any civilized country, against murder, manslaughter, 
theft, adultery, perjury, or bearing false- witness, Sabbath- 
breaking, and many other crimes, be derived, but from 
the Ten Commandments and the laws of the Pentateuch? 
Are they not all directly mentioned there, with the 
penalty to be awarded for each? And although we read 
in history, how the laws of the different countries have 
been at various times repealed or altered by their suc- 
cessive rulers, according to the manners and customs of 
the people whom they governed, there is still sufficient 
left to shew the Divine Source from whence they sprung. 
The laws of the Bible, on the contrary, remain unaltered. 
God had adapted them to suit us in every age, and 
country; therefore, as He has declared, they will remain 
^^ an everlasting statute to all generations." Do you not 
consider this a grand proof. Aunt? 

Aunt. You have advanced very fair reasoning, my 
boy, always assuming your premises to be correct; but I 
should say you have rather brought forward corrobo- 
rative evidence than actual proof of your position; 
because, though you are evidently unacquainted with it, 
there was a revelation from the Deity to Noah (of course 
antecedent to the one on Sinai) , containing prohibitions 
against some of the very crimes you have mentioned: 
these, known as the Noachite precepts, became diffused 
throughout the different nations of the world, who all 
owed their origin to the family of the patriarch after the 



THE DIVINITY OF THE BIBLE. 43 

deluge, and most probably formed a kind of basis for 
legislation; consequently, we are not justified in posi- 
tively assuming that the laws you have named, entirely 
originated in the Pentateuch. Still my own impression 
is, that in every country where the revealed Word of 
God is acknowledged, its code of moral laws is more or 
less founded on the ground-work of those of the Bible. 
To believers in revelation, the great truths and sound 
precepts inculcated throughout the Pentateuch, offer a 
standard of right and wrong, by which they cannot 
avoid allowing themselves to be, perhaps, imconsciously 
guided: whereas, on looking into the records of the 
heathen and uncivilized nations who are unacquainted 
with revealed religion, we shall be struck with the fact, 
that some of the actual crimes we have just named, are 
not only permitted, but regarded as meritorious. 

Jacob. This I cannot understand. Right is right, 
and wrong is wrong, all over the world: a man^s con- 
science must tell him it is wrong to murder, steal, or 
ntter a falsehood. 

Aunt. Just so, my boy; a man's conscience does tell 
him so; but first, what do you call his conscience? 

Ruth. It is an inward feeling that God has given us, 
to make us know when we have acted, or even thought 
rightly or wrongly. I can tell you by experience, that 
conscience is not always a pleasant visitor ; its reproaches 
make one feel very uncomfortable. 

Aunt. Conscience is the most faithful friend we pos- 
sess, if we would but attend to its warning voice; but 
we will not enlarge upon this subject now, as I do not 
wish to lose the thread of our argument. If conscience 
be our guide, can you give me any reason why one 
man's (or rather I should say, one nation's) conscience 
acts so differently to another ? Let us give the preference 



44 THIRD CONVERSATION. 

to our adopted country, and take the Englishman as an 
example. His conscience tells him it is a sin to murder 
or steal; whereas, among the savage nations of the 
present day, though they may punish theft in their own 
community, as inflicting injury on themselves, it is not 
the crime they reject, for they consider it a merit to rob 
and cheat the stranger. Again, their conscience does 
not bid them refrain from murder; on the contrary, the 
Indian tribes are famed for the tortures they inflict on 
their enemies ; they account it rather a merit than a sin ; 
they glory in the number of scalps they have taken, and 
wear them about their persons as trophies. Our conscience 
tells us to honour our parents; and as they become old 
and infirm, to guard, watch over, and surround them 
with every care and comfort, so that their declining 
years may glide peacefully away, soothed by our love 
and tenderness: whereas, among many of the heathen 
nations, the approach of old age is the signal for aban- 
donment and destruction. Some of the North American 
Indian tribes deem it a duty, as soon as their relatives 
become old and helpless, incapable of any longer follow- 
ing the war-chase, or of sitting in the council of their 
chiefs ; they believe they are acting rightly and consider- 
ately by putting them to death, as of no further use to 
themselves or their country. There is also a most cruelly 
unnatural custom among the wild hunting- tribes, of 
placing their unfortunate victims, whose utter helpless- 
ness prevents resistance, in an open grove, with some 
parched corn and a bottle of water at their side, thus 
leaving them to expire in a short time from the pangs of 
hunger, unheeded and unmourned. The Hindoos, like- 
wise, leave the aged of their community to die on the 
banks of the Ganges — their sacred river. Now how can 
you reconcile the different ways in which conscience 



THE DIVINITY OF THE BIBLE. 45 

acts? It appears by what we have just said, that what 
is regarded as a crime by one nation, is held as a merit 
by the other. How are we to solve this riddle? 

Jacob. I should say, that just as we could not be ex- 
pected to work out a problem in Euclid without some 
fixed data to guide us, so conscience must likewise act 
from a certain standard of right and wrong. 

Aunt. Exactly so; and, as I said before, to believers 
in revelation, the Bible is the undoubted standard; while 
those nations unblessed with a knowledge of its doctrines 
are slaves to their own benighted legislation and prin- 
ciples. But I think now you have advanced as many 
arguments as will be necessary to prove your position in 
your theme, and it is not requisite that you should plunge 
deeper into the subject at present, as w^e have indeed ex- 
tended this discussion to a far greater length than I 
originally intended. 

Jacob. Before we conclude, I should like, if you have 
no objection, to recapitulate the heads of the evidence we 
have obtained, as it will then be less likely to escape my 
memory. 

Aunt. Willingly, my dear boy; indeed, I think you 
have made a very wise proposition ; for a general summary 
of the chief points of an interesting discussion, not only 
serves to concentrate the matter, but impresses it more 
forcibly on the mind than in its disconnected state. T 
should also recommend you both to commit to memory 
the several verses you have, and may in future select in 
exemplification, as it is always well to be able at once to 
quote your authority. 

Jacob. Well, then, to commence; the arguments we 
have collected as evidence of the Bible being the Word 
of God, rest on the following grounds : — 

1st. The continued existence of the Jewish nation. 



46 THIRD CONVERSATION. 

2nd. The past and present history of the Israelites 
bearing out literally the prophecy of Moses, in Deutero- 
nomy. 

3rd. The present deserted and degraded state of 
Palestine. 

4th. The peculiar nature of some of the laws of the 
Pentateuch, precluding the possibility of human agency 
and direction. 

5th. The duration and immutability of the laws of the 
Pentateuch, in contradistinction to human legislation. 

6th. The originality of the Law, and the appeal of all 
religions to its dictates. 

And with this, we must, I suppose, conclude our con- 
versation this evening.* 

* Some of these evidences are derived from a Sermon of the 
Kev. D. A. De Sola. 



FOUETH CONVERSATION. 

THE CREED. — THE EXISTENCE OF GOD — HIS UNITY — 
HIS INCORPOREITY — HIS ETERNITY. 

Jacob, I AM SO glad, Aunt_, tliat we are at length 
going to commence witbvour own faith (the Jewish reli- 
gion). I have been quite impatient to do so; for it has 
seemed as if we should never arrive at it. This is the 
fourth Sabbath evening since we planned our discussions, 
and we have scarcely touched on the subject. 

Aunt. I do not agree with you, my boy; for I hope, 
and think you will find, we have done a great deal more 
than you are aware of. It is true, we have not as yet 
discussed any of the peculiar articles of our belief; still, 
I have little doubt but that our previous conversations, 
on religion in general, and the divine origin of the Bible, 
will have given a tone of reasoning to your minds, that 
will enable you to feel and understand our subject far 
better than if we had at once entered upon it. To carry 
out my former illustration, we have taken possession of 
some of the outposts, and may therefore proceed to attack 
the citadel, with reasonable hopes of success. Now what 
"would you propose for our first point of enquiry? 

'Ruth, I think we should begin from the creed or 
principles on which we found our faith, and then we can 
go on progressively ; but, as an introduction to the Jewish 
religion, will you tell us the origin of the word Jew ? 
Of course, we know it means an Israelite, still it is a dis* 



48 FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

tinct name ; and I felt very much ashamed this morning, 
at not being able to give a satisfactory answer on being 
asked from whence it was derived. 

Aunt. I am afraid you will think me very hard-hearted, 
my love, when I tell you that I cannot bring myself to 
regret your annoyance, as the remembrance of it will 
serve as a lesson, to shew you the necessity of seeking 
instruction on every point connected with our religion; 
at the same time, I will do my best to supply you with 
the information you require, which you can then impart 
in your turn.* When the tribes of Israel were led into 
captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, kMg of Babylon, they were 
not wholly destroyed, but merely transported from their 
own country to the land of their conquerors. The prin- 
cipal tribe — Judah, and also that of Benjamin, alone 
remained in Palestine. After a time, such of the exiles 
of the other ten tribes as returned thither, settled among 
the tribe of Judah, losing their own distinguishing ap- 
pellation. This gave the name of Judah to the whole 
remnant of Israel, which being in Latin, JudcBus^ was 
curtailed to Jew^ formerly spelt Jue; the land also was 
called Judaea, and we find in the book of Esther, chap, 
ii. 5, that Mordecai, though belonging to the tribe of 
Benjamin, was called ^*l*in^ Judas'an or Jew. To this 
day we have retained the name. 

We will now, then, commence with the creed, which 
comprises the principles on which we ground our belief; 
and I think it will be more interesting, if, after repeating 
the heads, we examine each point separately, and at the 
same time try to find some texts in exemplification. 

Jacob. We have for once forestalled you. Aunt; for, 
as we imagined we should commence with the creed, we 

* Chapter viii. of " Faith Strengthened," a translation of 
rT31D« \>wn by Moses Mocatta, Esq. 



Temple Bodef Shalo« 

THE CREED. 49 

liave already selected some verses that struck us as appro- 
priate. I will now repeat the diflferent articles of our 
belief. 1st. The existence of God. 2nd. His unity. 
3rd. His incorporeity. 4th. His eternity. 5th. To the 
One Sole God appertains worship. 6th. The truth of 
prophecy. 7th. The prophecy of Moses. 8th. The de- 
livery of the law. 9th. The permanency of the law. 
10th. The omniscience and all-directing power of God. 
lith. Kewards and punishments. 12th. The advent of 
the Messiah. 13th. The resurrection of the dead. These 
are generally termed the thirteen fundamental principles 
of the Jewish faith. 

Aunt. Yery well; we will now commence with *'the 
Existence of God;^^ and I think it will be advisable to 
give first, a short explanation of each article as we take 
it under discussion; it will serve as a direct foundation^ 
and we can then enlarge on it to any length we please. 

Ruth. 1st. "The Existence of God." We believe 
that a God exists^ who has created and does sustain the 
universe, and all the creatures contained therein. 

Jacob. In our former conversation on natural religion, 
vre traced out pretty clearly, how the works of nature, 
the daily wonders that surround us, proclaim the existence 
of God as a Universal Creator; and in Ps. xxxiii. 6-10, 
we find: " By the word of the Lord were the heavens 
made; and all the host of them by the breath of his 
mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as 
a heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all 
the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the 
world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was 
done; he commanded, and it stood fast." 

And in Isaiah xlv. 11-13: " Thus saith the Lord, the 
Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to 
<jome concerning my sons, and concerning the work of 

E 



50 FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

my hands command ye me. I have made the earth, and 
created man upon it : I, even my hands, have stretched 
out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded." 

Aunt. These verses are very well chosen, they offer 
an impressive picture of one of God's most powerful 
attributes — His omnipotence or almighty power. 

Ruth, What do you mean by attributes, Aunt? I 
have always understood that " to attribute/' signified to 
ascribe, or give credit to another, for certain qualities or 
acts; but I do not see how this meaning can be applied 
here; for how can we pass judgment on our God? 

Aunt. Certainly not, my dear child; the very idea 
is sacrilege ; but though we may not for a moment pre- 
sume to canvass or reason on His decrees, we are not 
forbidden; nay, we are expressly commanded, to rever- 
ence and adore Him in His works. We cannot but 
feel, from all that we see around us, that in God exists 
power, wisdom, and goodness, in the highest degree. 
He is all-perfect in every relation; there is nothing 
wanting, nothing to be sought for in vain; and we, who 
raise our eyes towards him in awe and gratitude for the 
never-ending benefits we receive with every breath we 
draw, we ascribe to Him all that is perfect, and in human 
parlance describe these exalted qualities as His attributes 
or ways. The first article in our creed speaks to our 
senses and feelings, that GoD is Almighty. He alone 
has created the universe, and sustains it in one unbroken 
chain. He alone has made, does make, and will make 
all things that have been, or can be called into existence. 
He can at all times work out His will and pleasure. 

'' Behold, God exalteth by His power: Who teacheth 
like him?" (Job xxxvi. 22). "God thundereth marvel- 
lously with His voice; great things doeth he, which we 
cannot comprehend. For he saith to the snow, Be thou 



THE CREED. 51 

on the eartK ; likewise to the small rain, and to tlie great 
rain of his strength. By the breath of God frost is given : 
and the breadth of the waters is straitened. Also by 
watering He wearieth the thick cloud : He scattereth His 
bright cloud ; and it is turned round about by His counsels : 
that they may do whatsoever He commandeth them upon 
the face of the world in the earth. He causeth it to come, 
whether for correction, or for His land, or for mercy. 
Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out: He is ex- 
cellent in power, and judgment, and in plenty of justice: 
He will not afflict "(Job xxxvii. 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 23). 

Again, this marvellous work of the creation shews us, 
that we may here in reverence ascribe another attribute 
to our God — He is all-wise. Can we look around, 
and view the harmony which pervades the whole uni- 
verse, — the undeviating routine which continues from 
age to age, without a break in the chain which connects 
every created atom — can we behold this, and not ac- 
knowledge that our God is the first Cause of All, and the 
essence of Supreme Wisdom ? Nothing is too insignificant 
for the exercise of His all-wise direction; every unit in 
creation has its appointed use and object, and although 
man with his limited faculties is permitted to discover 
and understand but a portion of the works of Infinite 
Wisdom, still enough has been graciously revealed to 
him, to call forth his faith in what is beyond his com- 
prehension. We will conclude this article, with the 
following verses from Isa. xl. 13, 14. 

'^ Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being 

\ his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took He 

counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the 

path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and 

shewed to Him the way of understanding?" 

*' Dost thou not know? or hast thou not heard? the 



52 FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

God of everlasting is tlie Lord, He created the ends of 
the earth; He is not fatigued, and He is not weary; 
there is no searching of his understanding" (Isa. xl. 28). 

Jacob. We will now proceed to the second article of 
our faith — *^ The Unity of God." "We believe that the 
Lord is One, the Only One, without a second, in any 
manner of association. 

Aunt. This article, my dear children, is the strong- 
hold of our religion. We believe with a firm and per- 
fect faith, that our Creator is the One Sole God, that 
there is no unity like His Unity, and that nothing can 
be compared to His Unity, which is all-perfect in itself, 
neither admitting of addition nor sub-division, of plu- 
rality, change, nor name — nothing therein is wanting 
— nothing superfluous. Our God is One alone, who 
was before the world was created, who is at the present 
time, and who will be to all eternity. There is no 
mystery in this belief, no point in this question that 
admits of a doubt; this sublime truth is told to us 
throughout the Scriptures, in language simple and 
forcible enough to meet the understanding of all; the 
man and child, can alike comprehend the exhortation of 
our law-giver Moses, which he delivered to the Israelites 
by the command of God: and thus he addressed the 
assembled multitude (Deut. vi. 4) : — 

" Hear, Israel ! The Lord our God is One 
Lord !" 

Jacob. Why, this is the first verse of the prayer 
called the Shemang, which we repeat twice every day ; 
but it seems to contain a much more solemn warning in 
the manner you have just brought it before our notice, 
than 1 ever thought it had before; I should almost say, 
that every time we repeat that prayer we bind ourselves 
anew in the opening verse, to acknowledge the One 



THE CREED. 53 

Sole God, and in consequence to obey tKe commands 
immediately following. 

Aunt. You are quite right; and 1 am truly thankful 
that your own feelings lead you at once to discover the 
great responsibility we take upon ourselves in uttering 
these solemn words. So sacred a duty are we perform- 
ing every time we repeat them, so important is it, that 
our thoughts should be concentrated on the awful affirm- 
ation we are making to our Creator, that we even cover 
our eyes during the time of repetition, in order that no 
outward objects may distract our attention from this 
confession, of our faith; and which, as you justly say, 
if made in sincerity and truth, should lead us to obey 
every command of the God we have acknowledged. 

After recapitulating to the Israelites, all the wonders 
God had performed in their favour, Moses says (Deut. 
iv. 35):— 

" Thou hast been shewn these things, in order to 
know that the Lord is God; and there is none besides 
Him." 

This assertion is simple, and at the same time clear 
enough; but again we find, Deut. iv. 39: — 

" Know therefore this day, and reflect in thine heart, 
that the Lord He is God, in the heavens above, and on 
the earth beneath : there is none else." 

Here you perceive, we have had three most impressive 
exhortations and affirmations from our holy Law, each 
bearing witness to the Unity of God, in language so 
clear, that to pretend to misunderstand its import, would 
be to convict ourselves of imbecility. 

Ruth. I think. Aunt, I can now give you some 
verses from the prophets, equally proving the same great 
truth. 

" Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel and his 



54: FOURTH CONVERSATIOIT. 

Kedeemer, I am the first, and I am the last, and besides 
me there is no God " (Isa. xliv. 6) . 

*' I am the Lord, and there is none else besides me " 
(Ibid.lv. 5). 

*' I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no Saviour 
besides me " (Ibid, xliii. 2). 

Aunt. Your selection reflects great credit on your 
judgment, and attention to the subject, my love; but 
before we proceed further, I must make a slight remark 
on a point in the last verse, " there is no Saviour besides 
me." We have here an emphatic declaration from our 
all-gracious God, that He alone is OUR Saviour: 
that we are, in consequence, to have no mediator with 
Him, and that there is no being to whom we can apply 
for salvation and help but to Him, our God and Saviour, 
is the natural conclusion we must draw from this verse, 
which is borne out by numberless others to the same 
effect. 

" I flw the Lord, and the7'e is none else, there is no 
God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not 
known me : that they may know, from the rising of the 
sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I 
am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, 
and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I 
the Lord do all these things^' (Isa. xlv. 5 — 8). 

" Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take 
counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient 
time; who hath told it from that time? Have not I the 
Lord? And there is no God else beside me; a just God 
and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, 
and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, 
and there is none else " (Isa. xlv. 21 — 23). 

We could produce similar evidence without end; but 
you must be convinced from what we have already ad- 



THE CREED. 55 

vanced, tliat the doctrine of tlie Sublime Unity, is 
established on a basis firm as adamant; therefore I think 
we will now conclude this article with a verse from 
Hosea, which, in language clear and open as the day, 
proclaims this great TRUTH to all generations. 

*' I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and 
thou shalt know no God but me ; and there is no Saviour 
besides me " (Hos. xiii. 4). 

Jacob. I cannot tell you, my dear Aunt, how much 
you have interested us in this subject; you have ex- 
plained it so clearly, and the verses you have selected 
speak so forcibly to our senses of the Unity op God, 
that I am sure we can never regard this article of our 
belief but with the deepest reverence; and for my part, 
I hope never again to repeat the '^ Shemang," without at 
the same time reflecting on the importance of the words 
I am uttering. I feel now as if we could not avoid 
recognising the fact of our repeating our prayers in the 
immediate presence of God ; and if we once succeed in 
feeling this, how awfully serious it is to think of reading 
such words, without giving them the respectful attention 
their solemn import demands ! 

Aunt, May you, nay dear children, ever retain these 
pious sentiments, and act on them ! You will then have 
no cause to fear that your prayers will be rejected by our 
gracious God. We will now take the third article of 
our Creed under consideration — ** The Incorporeity of 
the Eternal God." 

Ruth, " We believe that our blessed Creator is in- 
corporeal, that no bodily infirmities or accidents can 
affect Him, and that under no form can we ascribe any 
similitude to Him." I have not been able to collect 
quite so many verses in exemplification of this article, 
though such as I have found shew forcibly enough, that 



56 FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

to God, no circumstance of bodily existence can be 
affixed. 

Aunt, There you are correct: God is a Supreme 
Being, invisible to the eye of man, to whom we neither 
can, nor dare offer any manner of similitude; but the 
effects and workings of that Supreme Power we behold 
everywhere, in all directions^ among all His creatures;-, 
from the greatest to the least. 

Ruth. In Deuteronomy iv., Moses earnestly exhorts the 
Israelites to beware of idolatry, and of making any 
graven image, which they could in their own minds 
compare to the likeness of God; he also goes on to 
forbid their forming an idol, after the figure of any 
beast, bird, fish, or reptile; as well as to prohibit their 
worshipping the sun, the moon, or stars, etc.; but the 
15th and 16th verses, relate immediately to our subject, 
as shewing that they (the Israelites) had never seen the 
similitude of God. 

*' Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for 
ye saw no similitude on the day, that the Lord spoke 
unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire." 

In Exodus we are also taught that God cannot be seen 
by mortal eye : — 

" And He said to him [Moses], Thou canst not see 
my face, for no man can see me and live " (Exod.. 
xxxiii. 20). 

In Isaiah we likewise find: — 

" To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness 
will ye compare unto Him?'^ (Isa. xl. 18). 

" To whom then will ye liken me, that I could resem- 
ble him? saith the Lord " (Ibid. xl. 45). 

Now, independently of the sin of forming any figure, 
and ascribing to it the likeness of God, it seems as if the 
bare idea of such an act must prove one void of every 



THE CREED. 57 

grain of reason; for certainly, in order to compare one ob- 
ject with another, and recognise a resemblance between 
them^ it is indispensable that we should see the model 
we profess to copy; and as NO man (not even excepting 
Moses) has been permitted to behold the Eternal face to 
face^ for He has said, "No man can see my face and 
live;" to dare to ascribe any similitude to Him, appears 
to me a shocking mixture of sin, presumption^ and 
folly. 

Jacob. I declare, Kuth, you have used up all my 
arguments and quotations, leaving me nothing to say on 
this article of our Creed; therefore I shall take the next 
entirely to myself. It is the fourth — " The Eternity of 
God." 

" We believe that our blessed Creator is Eternal, 
without beginning or end." We learn from this that 
God is an everlasting Being: there has been no com- 
mencement to His existence, neither will there be any 
end: we cannot imagine a time when He was not; for 
before the world was created — God was ; and when it 
shall have passed away — He still will be. I have found 
some beautiful verses from the Psalms, that shew this 
most clearly. 

" Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever 
Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from 
everlasting to everlasting. Thou art God " (Psa. xc. 2). 

^' Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth: 
and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They will 
perish, but Thou wilt subsist : Yea, they will wax old 
as a garment; as a vesture Thou wilt change them; and 
they will be altered. But Thou art the same, and Thy 
years have no end " (Psa. cii. 26 — 28). 

Junf. From your last quotation, we ought to be able 



58 FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

to infer something besides '* Eternity." Can you form 
any guess as to my meaning? 

Jacob. Yes, I should say we can discover another of 
the attributes of God — '' His immutability.^^ He exists 
from Himself alone, consequently is not susceptible of 
change. Though the world itself were to pass away, He 
would still be the same living, Eternal God; neither 
increase of years, nor outward circumstances, produce 
any alteration in Him; He is God in Himself, and 
nothing can influence or affect His existence. 

Aunt. You are quite right, and have described it 
very well. Time, as regards the Eternal, has no mean- 
ing : we can affix no idea to it. 

" For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yester- 
day when it is passed, and as a watch in the night " 
(Psa. xc. 4). 

Does not this give us a conception of the infinity of 
God? '* A thousand years like a watch in the night I" 
whereas to man, a year, month, week, day, hour, nay, 
second, is of the utmost consequence, as bringing him 
nearer to his mortal end. 

** The days of our years are threescore years and ten; 
and if by reason of strength they he fourscore years, yet is 
their strength labour and sorrow ; for it is soon cut off, 
and we fly away " (Psa. xc. 10). 

We also find in Isaiah xliv. 6 : — " I am the first, and 
I am the last; and beside me there exists no God." 

Jacob. We have already quoted this verse. Aunt, in 
treating of the Unity of God. 

Aunt. Exactly ; but do you not see that it alludes at 
the same time to the Eternity of the Almighty? We 
may frequently have occasion to repeat a verse previously 
quoted in exemplification, as there are many, alluding 



THE CREED. 59 

equally to two distinct points, tliougli it is as well 
always to confine ourselves to tracing the connection 
with the one we are discussing at the time. Every word 
in the Bible is so inestimably precious, that we should 
rather rejoice at, than regret the necessity of repetition. 
I have one more remark to offer, and then we must con- 
clude for this evening; as I am sure your thoughts have 
had as much food as they can digest at one time. In 
recognising and acknowledging that our God is un- 
changeable, as He is Eternal, we must draw one most 
consolatory inference — that the promises of God are 
likewise unchangeable^ and will in the end be strictly 
fulfilled. His word, once spoken, is immutable; and 
when we reflect on the present degraded position of the 
Israelites from their '^ high estate/' and on the glorious 
promises of redemption and deliverance, held out to us 
by our merciful Creator, we dare not doubt, we can but 
look forward, my dear children, in unshaken faith and 
trust, to the realization of His word. 



n 



FIFTH CONVEESATION. 

TO THE ONE SOLE GOD APPERTAINS WORSHIP. — 
PRAYER DEFINED. 

Aunt. As I believe, my dear children, you perfectly 
understand and appreciate the first four articles of our 
belief, we will at once proceed to discuss the fifth — '' To 
the One Sole God appertains worship;" which you 
had better, as usual, explain concisely. 

Ruth. " We believe that to our blessed Creator alone, 
we should ofier up our prayers; and that besides Him 
there is no being to whom we ought to address ourselves^ 
either in prayer, supplication, or thanksgiving." Do 
you not think the hundredth Psalm exemplifies this 
beautifully. Aunt? It not only declares to us, that 
" the Lord He is God," consequently that to Him alone we 
are to offer up our prayers^ but at the same time exhorts 
us most earnestly to praise and serve Him with joy and 
gladness. Shall I read it? 

Aunt. Yes, my love ; for as you justly say, it applies 
exactly to this point of our belief, which we shall, I am 
sure, find peculiarly interesting, as it must induce an 
attentive consideration of the goodness of our God, as 
displayed in His direct superintendence of the universe ; 
and from thence we shall, I trust, be led to reflect on 
the duties, for the fulfilment of which we, the children 
of His bounty, are responsible to Him in return. 



PRAYER DEFINED. 61 

Ruth. The hundredth Psalm, a Psalm of praise : — 

" Make joyous acclamation unto the Lord, all ye lands. 
Serve the Lord with gladness : come before His presence 
with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is 
He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His 
people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His 
gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: 
be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the 
Lord is good ; His mercy is everlasting ; and His truth 
endureth to all generations." 

Aunt. In recognising the obligations we are under 
to worship the One Sole God, can we ever sufficiently 
prize the inestimable privilege which is so mercifully 
accorded to us — to address ourselves to our Creator, to 
open our hearts to Him, as a child to a parent? Let us 
reflect for a moment in what position He Himself gra- 
ciously places us. 

*' Ye are the children of the Lord your God" (Deut. 
xiv. 1). 

Our Heavenly Father has deigned to declare through 
His prophet Moses, that we, all powerless and insig- 
nificant as we are of ourselves, are His children: and 
does not every breath we draw prove this precious de- 
pendence? What are we without Him? — Mere clods 
of earth I We may indeed exclaim with King David, 
Psa. viii. 4 — 9 : — 

" What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and 
the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou 
hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast 
crowned him with honour and glory. Thou madest him 
to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou 
hast put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, 
yea, and the beasts of the field ; the fowl of the air, and 
the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the 



Q% FIFTH CONVERSATION. JBI 

paths of the seas. Lord our Lord, how excellent is 
Thy name in all the earth !" j 

Now, my dear children, what is required of us in re- I 
turn for all these and other benefits so abundantly lavished 
on us ; but to love the Lord our God, and to serve Him 
with our whole heart. 

Jacob. But, Aunt, God is so immeasurably above us, 
that it seems impossible our love should reach Him, or 
{hat we could in any way shew it forcibly enough. 

Aunt. That neither our most strenuous efforts, nor 
our most unceasing thanksgivings, could acknowledge 
even a fraction of the mercies that have been, and are 
still being, bestowed upon us, is indeed true, my boy ; 
but sensible as we are of the infinite goodness of our 
Creator, that should and must not discourage us. God, in 
His glorious supremacy, does not measure out deeds like 
mortal man. He taketh into account our weakness and 
infirmities. 

" Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord 
pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; 
He remembereth that we are dust " (Psa. ciii. 13 — 15). 

He has Himself marked out the w^y we are to evince 
our gratitude ; He has told us : — 

" And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy 
heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might." (Deut. 
vi.5). 

And we can only do this by constantly bearing in 
mind the untiring mercies of our Creator. Still it will 
not suffice that we acknowledge Him to or among our- 
selves: we must not content ourselves with the mere 
thanksgiving of the lips, although that is also imperative 
on us to render; but our actions, our lives, must bear 
witness to the sincerity of our feelings. God loves us 
as a father, and desires only our good; He is all- wise; 



PRAYER DEFINED. 63 

and knowing this, we should fearlessly leave all to His 
direction, making a faithful use of the gifts He has 
bestowed on us, enjoying them with humility while He 
thinks fit to leave them in our possession, and yielding 
them up in unmurmuring submission, when He, in His 
wisdom and pleasure, may see fit to recall them. Are 
we endowed with talents? We dare not let them lie 
waste; they have been given for a purpose, and we must 
improve them to the service of God, and to the benefit 
of our fellow-creatures. 

Jacob. Yes, that is very well for those who are gifted 
with talents; but see how few there are, in proportion to 
the mass, so endowed. How can the generality of man- 
kind, mere common-place minds, or children as we are, 
benefit our fellow-creatures? 

Aunt. My dear boy, as I said before, God does not 
judge like mortals. He will not require of us more than 
He has given : but I see you have fallen into the com- 
mon error of applying the word talent only to the power 
of acquiring deep learning: consequently you think, 
that to write and publish books, is the only way for 
talent to work good to mankind. Well, certainly to 
those so gifted, it is part of their line of duty to open 
the gates of wisdom to their less fortunate brethren; — to 
glorify their Creator, by displaying the wonders of His 
creation in their writings; but above all, ought they to 
consider it their portion, to use the power granted them, 
in teaching the knowledge and fear of God, the beauties 
and requirements of religion, and the peculiar privileges 
and blessings of their own faith, as far as they them- 
selves understand them, and their ability will extend. 
Then, indeed, if their efibrts have aided in the slightest 
degree in enlightening ignorance, — if the inspired elo- 
quence of their pen have assisted in rousing the indolent 



64^ FIFTH CONVERSATION. 

and indifferent from their mental apatliy, and so, in 
recalling tlieir dormant religious feelings, have induced 
tliem to renew tlieir service to tlieir God; therij truly, 
may we deem such talent blessed. But even so .let us 
not dare to arrogate any superiority to ourselves from 
their possession; for in a moment may our pride be 
bumbled to the dust, our boasted wisdom be withdrawn 
from us, and our intellect levelled to the brute creation. 
How often have we seen the light of reason overclouded, 
and the strong-minded man become simple as the lisping 
infant ! And now I would not have you imagine for a 
moment, that youth is exempt from the power of influ- 
encing, either for good or evil; " Even a child is known 
by his doings, whether his work he pure, and whether it 
he right" (Prov. xx. 2); if you cannot teach, you can 
practise virtue, and I am sure you must have often 
noticed the effect of example among your young com- 
panions. There is not one of God's children but has 
some talent or gift confided to him, or hev, for women, 
my dear Kuth, are equally accountable with men for 
the use of the gifts bestowed on them; indeed their 
responsibilities are far more important than I fear we 
are aware off. We should not judge another by our 
own pattern; to each individual a certain post of duty 
is allotted, and whether great or insignificant, we may 
be sure it is the one best fitted to us; we, therefore, can 
only honour God by discharging faithfully the offices 
with which He has entrusted us. It is not the outward 
display, but the inward, silent, submission, that will 
attract the notice and approval of our Maker. To fulfil 
one's duty cheerfully under privation and neglect, to 
resist the temptations of the world, to bring ourselves to 
forgive and forget injuries, to sacrifice one's own pleasure 
for the benefit of others, to be the companion of age 



PRAYER DEFINED. 65 

and sickness, the untiring nurse, the kind consoler and 
sympathiser in grief — He or she who strives earnestly to 
walk in this path^ possesses talents more valuable in their 
way than the profoundest learning. Each domestic 
virtue is a talent in itself, which should be warmly 
cherished and nurtured, for it will bring forth blessings 
seven-fold. 

Jacob. I see what you mean now, Aunt; you wish 
us to understand, that God has given to every individual 
the power of doing some good to his fellow-creatures, 
either by imparting knowledge, or by the effect of 
example in his own conduct; and that we are responsible 
to Him for the neglect or use we make of that power, 
I suppose it is the same, then, with the possession of 
riches; they certainly may do a great deal of good if 
properly used. 

Aunt. Undoubtedly; are we endowed with riches? 
"We should regard them as a deposit from our Heavenly 
Father, to whom we shall be answerable for their just 
administration ; we are not to enjoy them alone, we are 
to share our wealth with the poor and needy, — to clothe 
and feed the hungry: we are not to look down with 
pride and contempt on our less fortunate brethren, — not 
to take advantage of their poverty to oppress them, for 
" He that oppresseth the poor, reproacheth his Maker: 
but he that honoureth Him, hath mercy on the poor " 
(Prov.xiv.31). 

We must not delight and plume ourselves on the idea 
•that our own unaided efforts have increased our riches, 
and placed us in the high position we have perhaps 
attained, through their influence in the world. True, 
there are many who have risen from the very depths of 
poverty, who have toiled on and on, with unflinching 
perseverance, conquered all obstacles, and succeeded in 



66 FIFTH CONYERSATION. 

amassing enormous wealth. Most praiseworthy is such 
industry, if pursued in the right spirit — in the love and 
fear of God: but, then, alas! through the very success 
we have met with, are we the more likely to yield to 
the sin of presumption, to need the exhortation which 
Moses addressed to the Israelites on the borders of the 
Promised Land. After rehearsing all the mercies the 
Lord had bestowed on them up to that day, he warns 
them to take heed : — 

'* And thou say in thine heart, My power and the 
might of mine hand have given me this wealth. But 
thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is He that 
giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish 
His covenant which He sware unto thy fathers, as if is 
this day " (Deut. viii. 18). 

Now, my dear children, I am sure you must feel with 
me, that the only means of avoiding this sin of pre- 
sumption, is to pray fervently to our God, and to offer 
up sincere thanksgivings for His enduring mercies. 

Ruth, I have scarcely courage to confess. Aunt, but 
really I do not think I ought to let you proceed further 
without acknowledging, that I do not quite understand 
the real nature of prayer. I hear and read of the com- 
fort to be derived from it, and it seems very shocking 
not to feel it in my own case; but the truth is, I do not 
see it clearly. I cannot remember ever having felt much 
happier after reading the Daily Service; indeed I am 
afraid my attention has frequently wandered, though 
when conscious of it, I have tried to recall my thoughts, 
knowing I have been committing a sin; but I suppose 
it is the constant repetition of the same words that 
makes me think of other subjects. Would it not be 
better, if instead of having a fixed form to repeat, we were 
each to frame a prayer for ourselves, which would com- 



PRAYER DEFINED. 67 

pel us to fix our attention? Then, again, the public 
worship being in Hebrew, there are so few who can 
understand it properly, whereas, if it were in English, 
all would be equally able to follow. Do you not think 
that would be an improvement? 

Aunt. My dear Ruth, you have almost provided us 
with subject enough for a whole evening's conversation, 
in the questions you have just proposed. I had no idea 
this article of our belief would have led us so far, but am 
truly thankful you li^ave been candid in expressing your 
feelings; for, in recognising the duty of offering up our 
prayers to " the One Sole God," it becomes impera- 
tively necessary that we should understand the nature of 
prayer, and the objects for which we may have recourse 
to its support. You ask. What is prayer? The raising 
of our thoughts to God; the expression of our feelings 
in words before Him. "We look up to Him as our 
Heavenly Father; therefore in joy we are bound to 
thank and praise Him for His mercies; in sorrow, we 
should implore His Divine support, and when we have 
sinned, we should beseech His pardon. The formation 
of these feelings into words is termed Prayer. 

Jacob. But, my dear Aunt, there is not a direct form 
of prayer for every event that can occur in man's life; 
and even if there be, our memory may not retain it, and 
we cannot always have a book at our side. How is it 
then? 

Aunt. When you have become more thoroughly 
acquainted with the Scriptures, you will find that there 
is not an emergency or feeling in human life to which 
some passage is not applicable: still, though I hope to 
prove to you shortly, how necessary a fixed formula 
of prayers is, to ensure a system of regular devotion, 



68 FIFTH CONVERSATION. 

you must understand, tliat God, in His great mercy, does 
not confine us to that alone. He permits our oftentimes 
excited and over-burdened feelings to vent themselves 
before Him ; He deigns to accept the untutored offering 
of our lips, if tendered in sincerity and truth : He does 
not even disdain the silent prayer of the heart ; and now 
we will try to exemplify this, shewing you how fre- 
quently supplications may be offered up almost uncon- 
sciously. Let us suppose you suddenly to have been 
placed in a position of great danger; say, for instance, 
that in walking you had found yourself under the 
tottering wall of a dilapidated building, which apparently 
threatened to bury you the next moment under its 
falling ruins. In your frantic efforts to escape, would 
not your first ejaculation have been, " Save me, my 
God 1" And what are these words but a fervent prayer 
for deliverance? Again, you Kuth, who are so terrified 
on the railroad, and particularly in passing through the 
tunnels, do you not always exclaim in emerging from 
one, " Thank God, we are safe !" — is not that a prayer of 
thanksgiving? If we are in pain, grief, or perplexity, 
we are scarcely aware bow often we entreat for succour; 
there is not one of us who has bent under affliction, but 
must recall the constantly recurring supplication of the 
heart, *' Support and comfort me, my God!'* And 
thus you see, that to express our feelings by prayer, is 
an innate necessity of our nature. 

Ruth, How is it that we have never thought of this 
before? It seems so clear now. However, I am thankful 
to find, that I also have unknowingly offered up frequent 
prayers; and as I can now recall many instances, I may 
hope they were the more sincere, from being unpremedi- 
tated ; but in future, I trust dear Aunt, I shall do so 



PRAYER DEFINED. 69 

with my eyes open to the privilege I am enjoying: still 
can we be sure that such free communion with God is 
permitted? 

Aunt. Yes, my dear child ; God, who knows how aw^ 
fully His Almighty power must strike us weak mortals, has 
encouraged us to seek Him under every emergency : the 
Scriptures abound with exhortations to that effect, and 
with promises that " His ears will be open to our cry :'* 
thus we find:— 

" But if from thence thou wilt seek the Lord thy 
God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all 
thy heart and with all thy soul " (Deut. iv. 29). 

" Trust in Him at all times, ye people ! Pour out 
your heart before Him ; God is a refuge for us " (Psalm 
Ixii. 9). 

" But in my distress, I called upon the Lord, and cried 
unto my God, and He heard my voice from His temple, 
and my cry came before Him into His ears " {Ibid. 
xviii, 6). 

'* The Lord is nigh to all those who call upon Him, 
to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfil the 
desire of them that fear Him : He will also hear their 
cry, and save them" {Ibid. cxlv. 18 — 20). 

To the sinner, comfort is also promised : — 

*' Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye 
upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake 
his way, and the unrighteous man His thoughts: and 
let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy 
on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon '^ 
(Isa. Iv. 6, 7). 

I could quote innumerable examples; but you will, I 
trust, seek them for yourselves; and as I am sure you 
will wish to act in accordance with them, I would r€- 
eo ramend you both to make a rule of breathing a short 



70 riFTH CONYERSATION. 

prayer to our Heavenly Fatlier, night and morning, 
independent of our regularly appointed devotions, which 
must on no pretext be omitted. This practice^ if per- 
severed m, will after a time, prove a great comfort to 
you; you will feel yourselves drawn nearer to our 
blessed God; you will gain a sense of security in the 
increased feeling of dependence on Him; during the 
turmoil and vexations of the day, you will learn to 
look forward with eagerness to the few quiet moments 
when you may unrestrainedly pour out your griefs and 
joys before Him. You will attain the consciousness of 
how unceasingly you are watched and cared for by our 
Heavenly Father, which will, it is to be hoped, operate 
as a check on your actions and thoughts. I will not 
delude you into the belief that this will all come at 
first; — to obtain such a reward, as will be the conse- 
quence of placing your whole trust in God, and con- 
fiding your whole heart to Him, you will have to 
exercise steady perseverance and faith ; you may, and 
most probably will, be frequently discouraged and 
tempted to draw back; but let ONWARDS be your 
motto, for though you can scarcely hope at first to 
succeed in realizing the fact, that the words you are 
uttering, and the thoughts you are thinking, are indeed 
ascending to our God; yet, believe me, little by little 
such blessed assurance will come, and with the belief j 
that your every act and feeling is being noted, will 
arise the earnest desire of pleasing Him, and the dread 
of doing anything to merit His anger. In the morning, 
before quitting your chamber, you should breathe 
a short petition for strength to fulfil your duties 
throughout the day, and to struggle against your errors. 
Are you easily excited to anger? Pray that you may 
acquire the power of restraining yourself, and of exer- 



PRAYER DEFINED. 71 

cislng forbearance. Are you of a proud and kaughty 
spirit? Pray that you may learn to yield, and become 
humble in feeling and demeanour. Are you inclined to 
deceit and falsehood? Pray that the love of truth may 
enter your heart, and that you may gain courage to 
brave anger in its cause, and to say, in the vrords of the 
Psalmist : — 

" Create in me a clean heart, God; and renew a 
right spirit within me" (Psa.li. 10). 

At night, before laying your head on your pillow, you 
should endeavour to collect your thoughts steadily, and 
to retrace the occurrences of the day. You would then 
have an opportunity of recalling the errors you have 
committed, and, what is almost as important, of laying 
bare to yourself without disguise, the motives by which, 
you have been influenced in your actions. A faithful 
confession and sincere repentance must then accompany 
your prayer for pardon, to your offended but merciful 
God. You will be surprised to find, my dear children, 
after a short time, how the idea of this evening hour 
will nerve you to resist the temptation to do wrong; 
how it will incite you to act rightly, and even when you 
have yielded to error (for such will often prove the case, 
notwithstanding our best resolutions), repentance and 
sorrow will speedily follow, with the desire to repair the 
evil you have committed. 

Ruth. After all you have just been saying, I feel so 
thoroughly ashamed, my dear Aunt, of the more than 
frivolous excuse I gave for my own inattention to our 
prayers, that I could almost beg you to dismiss the 
subject without noticing any more of my questions, but 
that I still wish to know why the Hebrew language is 
always adopted in our worship, in preference to that of 
the country. 



72 FIFTH CONVERSATION. 

Aunt, I could not, for a moment my love, tliink of 
allowing any of your questions to remain unanswered, 
even at the risk of engrossing an unequal share of our 
conversation to myself, and of prolonging it this evening 
beyond our usual limit ; but I preferred, by explaining to 
you first, and making you understand the nature, com- 
fort, and purpose of prayer, to force the conviction on 
your mind, that not to our regularly appointed service, 
but to your own want of devotion alone, is attributable 
the little interest you have evinced, and which I fer- 
vently trust will not occur in future. You say that the 
constant repetition of the same words causes the attention 
to wander; and you ask if it would not be better for 
individuals to frame their own prayers, as the means of 
insuring devotion. The ground of your argument is so 
untenable, that I can only reply as follows: were the 
feelings and mind piously inclined, far from wearying 
the attention, you would discover fresh beauties at every 
repetition of our service; with the will to observe, you 
could not fail to discern how admirably our prayers are 
compiled, and adapted not only to the mass, but to 
individuals; so that each one feels as if they were in 
parts expressly composed for himself; indeed, there is 
no prohibition against introducing particular prayers for 
special occasions. I would ask where you will find such 
a series of supplications, as in the m*'^J? of the daily 
morning service; or such touching and forcible expres- 
sions of praise and thanksgiving as HDt^^ and 1i^3 17N1 
in the Sabbath morning prayers? In fact, it is scarcely 
possible to particularise any, where all are equally 
admirable. Our ritual abounds with selections from the 
Psalms; and those prayers which are expressly composed, 
we must value as the pious aspirations of deeply re- 
ligious and learned men. For a clear and concise 



PRAYER DEFINED. 73 

account of tlie origin of our formula of prayer, I tKink 
I cannot do better than refer you to a paragraph in the 
preface to the translation of the Daily Prayers, by the 
Rev. D. A. De Sola, vol. i., second edition of the 
'^ Forms of Prayer of the Spanish and Portuguese 
Jews." It is as follows: — 

" A regular form of prayer for our nation must be 
dated from the Babylonian captivity, and the time of 
Ezra. That excellent man, beholding with intense 
grief the miserable state of his nation, and the great 
degeneracy of his contemporaries,* justly dreaded that 
this neglect and ignorance of the sacred language 
would so much increase, that the people would in a 
short time be totally unable to address their God in 
suitable terms, and that too at a time when prayer 
became more and more necessary, from the total cessa- 
tion of sacrifice, and the consolation it afforded the 
nation in their state of expatriation and misery. Ezra, 
therefore, instituted an academy, known by the name 
of D/^^n HD^D^ or " Great Assembly," composed of 
the most learned and celebrated men of that age, — 
among whom were the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, 
Malachi, and Daniel, besides many others of scarcely less 
note. With their assistance, he composed, in a pure 
idiom, approaching to that of the Scriptures, a series of 
prayers, to enable every Israelite to acquit himself of 
his duty in a proper manner. They instituted regular 

* Although the period of the expatriation was but a short 
one, yet, owing to the intermarriages with strange nations, they 
had lost so much of their nationality, that, as Nehemiah in- 
forms us, " their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and 
could not speak in the language of the Jews " (xiii. 24) ; i. e., they 
had almost lost their own national language — the Hebrew — 
without acquiring that of their conquerors. 



74 FIFTH CONVERSATION. 



^ 



morning, afternoon, and evening prayers, in lieu of tlie 
regular daily sacrifices J''n^/5Dn, which at those periods 
were offered in the Temple, and additional prayers for 
those solemn days on which the Law directs additional 
sacrifices r^DIJD to be brought. The form they thus 
constructed was adopted by all Israelites, and has ever 
since, with some unimportant verbal alterations, con- 
tinued in use by all of them ; for the difference observable 
in the liturgy of the Spanish, Italian, and German Jews, 
consists chiefly of additions of poetical and Talmudical 
pieces, composed at a much later period." 

You perceive by this, my dear children, that a regularly 
appointed ritual was deemed imperatively necessary in 
the earlier ages; and it is not the less so at the present 
day, when the increased luxuries we enjoy, and the ever- 
varying temptations of the world, are so ready to lead 
us astray from the fulfilment of our duties : indeed it is 
the only means of insuring a right system of devotion, 
for were the daily composition of our prayers left to our 
own imaginings, I fear much they would in a short time 
be first curtailed, and then entirely pretermitted. Want 
of time, inevitable occupation, inability (for even to the 
most highly gifted the power of composition is not 
always at command), would offer constantly recurring 
excuses, until by almost imperceptible degrees, the habit 
and desire of devotion would be extinguished. Therefore 
let us resolve to pay regular and earnest attention to our 
appointed ritual, bringing to our devotions truly pious 
feelings, such as we may with confidence hope will be 
accepted on high. Now, as regards the use of the 
Hebrew language in our worship: what valid reason 
could be assigned for substituting any other in its place? 
It is sacred to us as Jews, peculiarly our own, the one 
in which our holy Law was delivered to us, the pass- 



. PRAYER DEFINED. 75 

key to our nationality, the freemason^s sign — tlie token 
of our brotherhood : and should we ourselves recklessly 
cast away such a gift, such a bond of union, from sheer 
laziness and indifference, for it will not do to disguise 
the truth? The Hebrew is the language of the Israelite, 
and as such, should be studied from his earliest infancy ; 
and I consider this obligation equally binding on women. 
True, it is a dead language as regards the world, and will 
not yield the same harvest of praise and admiration as a 
knowledge of French, German, Italian, and other modern 
tongues, on which it is deemed too much time and pains 
cannot be spent. You will perhaps, be surprised to hear 
me say, that Hebrew is not more, if as difficult, as Ger- 
man, particularly as it is now very properly being taught 
grammatically, while it combines a grandeur and sim- 
plicity which, after conquering the first elementary 
difficulties, will lead you imperceptibly on with increas- 
ing interest, opening to your understanding treasures of 
a far higher standard than those of mere scientific and 
polite literature ; it unfolds to you the beauties of God's 
Holy Law in its original form ; and with such a goal in 
view, should this glorious birth-right, peculiarly our 
own, be disregarded? It is undoubtedly right to have 
a translation of our prayers in the language of the 
country, for the accommodation of those unlearned in 
their own\ — but few such should in the present day 
exist. England is the resort of Jews of all countries, 
who gladly join in prayer in their respective synagogues. 
How would it be were the worship conducted in English? 
The comfort of religious communion would be denied 
them, whereas now, the language of prayer being com- 
mon to all, let Jew meet Jew wherever he may, in the 
most distant climes and desert wastes, as in populous 
cities, he need never feel isolated — a word of Hebrew 



76 FIFTH CONVERSATION. 

shews tlie tie of brotherhood at once ; and he can unite 
in worship with his brethren of whatever nation they 
may be. How^ often have two Israelites, perfectly un- 
aware of their individual faiths, recognised each other 
as fellow- wanderers, from overhearing a muttered bless- 
ing before or after a meal, when immediately a cordial 
grasp of the hand has acknowledged the bond of union ! 
Such a link must never be severed, and surely not by 
our own indifference. But as I hope I have now satis' 
factorily answered all your queries, my dear children, I 
will close our very lengthened discussion, by praying 
fervently, that the extended knowledge I trust you have 
acquired of the blessing, comfort, and obligation of 
prayer, will enable you in future to perform your 
devotions with constantly increasing interest and piety, 
and in such a spirit as will render them acceptable 
to our Almighty Creator, the One Sole God, to whom 
alone worship is due. 



SIXTH CONVERSATION. 

THE TRUTH OF PROPHECY. 

Jacob. We are to commence tMs evening on the sixth 
article of the Creed, *' the Truth of Prophecy," which 
"will, I expectj furnish us with materials for another 
interesting discussion; though perhaps, it will not prove 
so lengthened a one as the last, unless you volunteer 
your assistance, for we have not been able to find many 
texts as examples. It is surprising. Aunt, how in- 
sensibly we are led on from one point to another, all 
connected with the same subject; that is what I enjoy 
so much in our conversations; perhaps from one question 
half a dozen will arise, when the varied information 
we acquire from each reply, increases our interest to 
such a degree, and causes us to anticipate Friday night 
with so much pleasure, that I know we shall both regret 
when our trip to the country makes a break in our dis- 
cussions, though only for a short time. 

Aunt, I am very glad to find my dear children, that 
your interest in our religious discussions continues un- 
abated; the idea certainly originated with yourselves, 
and it is, therefore only just that you should reap the 
full reward in the pleasure they afford you; for my 
part, I shall be amply compensated for the share I have 
taken in them, if they have the effect of inspiring you 
with a more earnest love of our holy faith. Now, Ruth, 



78 SIXTH CONVERSATION. 

give us the short definition of '* the Truth of Pro- 
phecy." 

Ruth. "We believe that our blessed Creator formerly 
bestowed the gift of prophecy on some pious men of 
His " peculiar people"; consequently, that all the words 
of the prophets are true. We find in Deut. xviii. 15, 
Moses says: — 

'^ A prophet from amidst thee, from thy brethren, 
like myself, will the Eternal, thy God, raise up unto 
thee; him ye shall obey." 

Jacob. I wish you would give us a clear explanation 
of the meaning of prophecy, Aunt; of course in its 
general sense, it signifies the foretelling of events to 
come; but then, some of the prophets only had visions of 
the future: are they also included in prophecy? 

Aunt. Your drawing such a nice line of distinction, 
is a very gratifying proof of the attention you are giving 
to the subject, my boy, and I will certainly spare no 
pains to procure you every information in my power. 
Prophecy, properly speaking, consists of the power of 
foretelling future events : that power is a divine gift, the 
inspiration of God; that is to say, our Almighty God 
formerly made known to some of His chosen servants, 
things and events which were unknown to other men, 
and, in most instances, sent them to proclaim His will 
(and, as in the case of our Holy Law) , His divine pre- 
cepts, to their fellow-men. Mr. Leeser, in his interest- 
ing work on " The Jews and the Mosaic Law," gives a 
very clear definition of prophecy, of which I will en- 
deavour to sketch a short abstract, as we cannot at present 
refer at full length to the original. He describes the 
inspiration of God bestowed on some highly favoured 
individuals (whom, I must tell you, were always remark- 
able for their piety and virtue), as of two kinds — 



THE TRUTH OF PROPHECY. 79 

propliecy, and inspiration proper ; and if I may be per- 
mitted to say so, my humble opinion entirely coincides 
with this view of the subject. Grievous and humiliating 
is it to be compelled to speak of this inestimable boon 
in the past tense; but unfortunately, too well do we 
Israelites know and feel, that we are no longer accounted 
worthy of this precious gift — too truly do we learn 
from Scripture and our records, that with the last words 
of Malachi was it withdrawn from our nation : but even 
here can we trace the everlasting mercy of our God. 
Notwithstanding our manifold sins, with which we had 
provoked the Lord our God to root us out of our land, 
to disperse us among the heathen, and, as no slight 
portion of our justly merited punishment, to withdraw 
from us our peculiar privilege of the gift of prophecy, 
even then did " He suiFer His mercy to precede His 
anger." He would not permit us wholly to despair; He 
gave us a powerful incentive to repent of our sins, and 
to return to His service; for what child of Israel but 
must look forward to the glorious hope and promises 
revealed in the concluding prophecy of Malachi : — 

" Kemember ye the law of Moses, my servant, which 
1 commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the 
statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah 
the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible 
day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the 
fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to 
the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a 
curse" (Malachi, iv. 4 to the end). 

But we must now return to Mr. Leeser's definition of 
prophecy. He describes a man endowed with prophecy, 
as a messenger sent to proclaim to others the will of God. 
He was not permitted to keep anything imparted to him 



80 SIXTH CONVERSATION. 

secret, but was commanded to go fortli and make known 
either to the nation generally, or to the individual, the 
good or evil tidings entrusted to him. Thus Jeremiah, 
in prophesying the Babylonish captivity to the people of 
Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, says (xxv. 
4, 30):- 

" And the Lord has sent unto you all His servants 
the prophets, rising early and sending them-, but ye have 
not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. There- 
fore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say 
unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter 
His voice from His holy habitation ; He shall mightily 
roar upon His habitation ; He shall give a shout, as they 
that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the 
earth." 

This, though only a selection from the prophecy is an 
example of its being addressed to the nation generally; 
we shall now find an instance of its being specially sent 
to an individual. After Saul had disobeyed the com- 
mands of God, in taking Agag, king of the Amalekites, 
alive, and sparing from the sword "the best of the sheep, 
and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and of the lambs 
and all that was good," under the excuse of sacrificing 
them to the Lord, Samuel was sent to remonstrate with 
him on his wickedness, and to proclaim to him, that, as 
a punishment for his sin, the kingdom would be taken 
from him. 

" For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stub- 
bornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast 
rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee 
from being king." "And Samuel said unto him, The 
Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, 
and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better 



THE TRUTH OF PROPHECY. 81 

tlian tliou. And also the Strengtli of Israel will not lie 
nor repent: for He is not a man, that He should repent" 
(lSam.xv.23, 28, 29). 

Of Inspiration proper (or, to make it more clear, the 
spirit of prophecy confined to the person so endowed, 
our author says: " The inspired man, or one gifted with 
the Holy Spirit whilst speaking or writings was he who 
wrote or spoke by himself (but not to others) what he 
felt within himself to be the will and word of God; or 
one who wrote down what had happened before him, or 
was to happen after him, as it was made known to him 
by a knowledge which he felt conscious at the time was 
superior to that with which he was generally endowed. 
Inspired writers of this kind were David, Solomon, 
Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. All these men, as you 
will perceive by studying their writings, were never sent 
out to communicate to others what had been imparted to 
them; but they wrote down or spoke as to themselves, 
what they felt convinced to be that wisdom and that 
knowledge which their God had revealed to them. Thus 
David said: " The spirit of the Lord spoke within me, 
and His word was upon my tongue " (2 Sam. xxiii. 2). 
Neither the prophet nor the inspired writer could in any 
case err, because both alike derived their knowledge from 
the same source — from their God. 

Ruth. I quite understand the difference you have ex- 
plained, and suppose then we should rank Moses, Samuel, 
Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Jonah, 
and others, as prophets, because they were specially sent 
to proclaim their tidings; but now I would ask you, 
Aunt, what means the people had in those days, of 
ascertaining whether they who set themselves forward as 
prophets were true or false in their pretensions; whether 

G 



82 SIXTH CONVERSATION. 

they had really an inspired mission from God, or were 
mere impostors? 

Aunt. God Himself furnished, them with a test of 
the truth of prophecy. In Deut. xviii. 22, we find: 
** When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, 
and it happen not, nor come to pass, then has the Eternal 
not spoken the word ; the prophet has invented it from 
wickedness; and thou must not be afraid of him." 

You perceive, by this, that the nation, both individu- 
ally and collectively, had here a clear and easy method 
of testing the truth of prophecy: the rules laid down 
were simple enough for all to comprehend alike, so that 
no excuse could be offered or accepted for mistaking the 
messenger of God. Firstly, it was obligatory on the 
prophet to announce his mission as proceeding direct 
from the Eternal, our Lord. Secondly, the prediction 
must in no one respect be contrary to any of the com- 
mandments of the Mosaic law, which God had declared 
to be immutable: and lastly, the fulfilment .must wholly 
correspond to the prophecy : any failure in either of these 
particulars, stamped the pretender as a false prophet, and 
unworthy of credence? 

Jacob. Did not some of the prophets work miracles 
to confirm the truth of their predictions. A miracle is 
a sign or wonder out of the ordinary course of nature, 
8uch as no human being can accomplish of himself, is it 
not. Aunt? Such, for instance, as Moses drawing water 
out of the rock, Joshua commanding the sun and moon 
to stand still, and Elijah and Elisha reviving the dead; 
they could not have performed either of these acts of 
themselves; of this they were fully aware, as well as the 
people who witnessed them, and by whom they were 
merely regarded as the instruments of God's power. 



THE TRUTH OF PROPHECY. 83 

Aunt. You have given a very clear definition of tlie 
nature of miracles, my boy; and most certainly many of 
tlie prophets were permitted to perform them; but not 
exactly always in confirmation of the truth of their pre- 
dictions, as the fulfilment alone could furnish that proof, 
and although in many instances it accompanied the 
miracle, in others, it did not occur until some time after 
its performance. Still, to a nation so stubborn and 
rebellious as were our forefathers, the Israelites, from even 
the earliest period of their redemption from the bondage 
of Egypt, God found it necessary occasionally to display 
additional proofs of His omnipotence and dominion — to 
strike their minds with renewed awe and reverence for 
His almighty power; and that, to a certain degree, could 
only be effected by an appeal to their outward senses; 
therefore did He command His chosen servants, when 
He in His wisdom thought fit, to perform in His name, 
the manifold signs and wonders we read of in the Bible, 
and which, while under the influence of the terror at- 
tending the witnessing their performance, inspired them 
with fresh faith, and caused them for a time to return to 
their duty. Thus, when Moses was sent to the Israelites 
to proclaim God's gracious promise of the redemption 
from Egypt, we find, in Exod.iv. 1 — 5: — 

*' And Moses answered and said. But, behold, they will 
not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice : for they will 
say. The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the 
Lord said unto him. What is that in thine hand? And 
he said, A rod. And He said. Cast it on the ground. 
And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; 
and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto 
Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. 
And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became 
a rod in his hand : that they may believe that the Lord 



84 SIXTH CONVERSATION. 

God of tlieir fathers, the God of Abraham, the God 
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto 
thee/' 

This is of course only one among the many miracles, 
including the ten plagues, which were inflicted by 
Moses at that time, at the command, and through the 
power of God; but as the promise which he was entrusted 
to proclaim was not verified until after the last of these 
wonders had been accomplished, it is clear that the object 
of their being displayed in the first instance, was not so 
much to prove its fulfilment, as to impress the Israelites 
with the almighty power of God, in contradistinction to 
the impotency of tlie idols by which they had so long 
been surrounded, and so to excite their reverence and 
faith in the truth of His word. Seeing, is in most cases, 
believing; the evidence of the eyesight is generally 
reckoned conclusive; and when the people beheld the 
almost immediate realization of every threat held out to 
Pharaoh by Moses, in the name of the Most High God, 
together with the marvellous exemption of the land of 
Goshen, the land of their sojourning, from the effect of 
the plagues, could they, being the immediate objects of 
all these wonders, continue to doubt but that the promise 
held out to them would in the end be fully verified? 
The Egyptians were at length compelled to bow to the 
almighty power of God, for He had said : — 

" And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, 
when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring 
out the children of Israel from among them'' (Exodus 
vii.5.) 

Jacob. I can bring forward three instances, all proving 
indisputably the Divine missions of the prophets, but 
before we leave the subject of miracles, I wish. Aunt, 
you would satisfy me on one point, that has puzzled me 



TQE- TRUTn OF PROPHECY. 85 

exceedingly. You know, wlien Aaron cast down Lis 
rod before Pharaoh and his servants, it became a serpent ; 
now we read in Ex.vii. 11 — 13: 

*' Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sor- 
cerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like 
manner with their enchantments. For they cast down 
every man his rod, and they became serpents; but 
Aaron^s rod swallowed up their rods.'' 

And also, when the river and all the water in the land 
was turned into blood, and the swarms of frogs came up 
all over the country, we find it said that the magicians 
did likewise. Now can you explain this ; for I do not at 
all understand how it could be. We are sure the ma- 
gicians had not the power in themselves of working 
miracles, and it certainly seems as if they had done so. 

Aunt. I have been expecting this question from the 
moment we touched on the subject of miracles; for 1 
must tell you, as a kind of satisfaction, that it is a per- 
plexing point to most young people, who are not gene- 
rally very apt at reasoning and drawing inferences. I 
perfectly remember puzzling over it myself, and thinking 
it rather a contradiction; though I must confess, that 
not having the same facility of obtaining ready inform- 
ation, I did not express my doubts as candidly as you 
have done; I was foolish enough to be ashamed of asking, 
for fear of betraying my ignorance; and, in consequence, 
had to read and reflect deeply, before the solution of the 
mystery became at all clear to me. In the first place, 
we must give particular attention to the following declar- 
ation of the Lord. Ex.vii. 3 — 5: — 

" And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my 
signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pha- 
raoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand 
upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people 



86 SIXTH CONVERSATION. 

the cliildren of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great 
judgments. 

Now let us state the actual facts, and then endeavour 
to draw a reasonable inference from them. The magicians, 
we know, had no power in themselves to work miracles, 
yet assuredly they did so; their rods became serpents, 
the water was turned into blood, and frogs came up over 
the land, at their bidding; at the same time^ however, as 
these wonders were in the course of performance by 
Moses. How was this? Certainly from no innate power 
of their own ; it was the will of God to permit them to 
exhibit these marvels to a certain extent. He had deter- 
mined to bring out His people by great judgments; to 
impress them with awe of His omnipotence, and to prove 
to them and to the Egyptians, that " He alone is the 
Lord." Had there been no seemingly opposing power, 
such as the magicians (for in them and their false gods 
did Pharaoh and his people place their whole faith), he 
(Pharaoh) must have humbled his heart at once, over- 
whelmed with dread and terror; and thus the effect of 
the tremendous and glorious contrast, afforded by the 
display of God's almighty power, would have been lost 
to the Israelites; therefore do we, in all humility, pre- 
sume that the sorcerers were permitted for a time, to 
perform the like wonders to Moses and Aaron. 

Jacob. But I do not yet see my way clearly as to 
how they were performed. Were they really miracles? 
or only caused by sleight of hand? Because it strikes 
me that might have been the case, as we ourselves have 
witnessed such clever transformations by different pro- 
fessors of the magic art, as they term themselves. 

Aunt. Your suggestion is not at all improbable; 
indeed, it is the one among the various interpretations 
given to this subject perhaps the least liable to objection. 



THE TKUTH OF PROPHECY. 87 

We know from Scripture that tlie magicians were not 
permitted to act beyond a certain limit. The third 
plague saw their efforts, ineffectual : the whole land was 
under its influence, and it was on too extended a scale 
for them to be able to produce any semblance of it. 
But it is quite possible that they might previously have 
deceived both Pharaoh, his people, and even the Israel- 
ites, by clever legerdemain: turning the water into 
blood, or something resembling it; causing frogs to ap- 
pear; and transforming their rods into serpents, which, 
being concealed about their persons, it only required 
manual dexterity to substitute for them. 

Ruth. Aunt, how dreadful ! That could not be ; 
you forget how deadly the bite of a serpent is. Do you 
think any one w^ould incur such a risk? 

Aunt. !Most undoubtedly not, without the poisonous 
fang having been first withdrawn. But have you never 
heard that the Egyptians were famous for charming 
serpents — that is to say, having by a certain process 
deprived the noxious reptiles of their deadly weapon, 
they professed to attract them by music from their 
hiding-places (where they had been previously deposited 
for the purpose), and then fearlessly exhibited themselves 
enveloped in their writhing coils to the uninitiated and 
awe-struck multitude? It makes one shudder to think 
of it, even though we know they were no longer dan- 
gerous; indeed, it is still done at the present day, but 
by others besides the Egyptians. To return to our sub- 
ject: we must not fail to notice how unmistakeably the 
supremacy of the Lord was manifested throughout. It 
is true that the magicians' rods became serpents at the 
same time as Aaron's: but mark the sequel! the rod of 
Aaron, the messenger of the One living God, swallowed 
up all the other rods; they were as nought before Him. 



88 SIXTH CONVEESATION. 

Thus, wKen at length the magicians tried in vain to 
bring up lice over the land with their enchantments — 
for God did not think fit to make use of them any further 
as His instruments — they were compelled to exclaim to 
Pharaoh, " This is the finger of God." 

Jacob. We are really obliged to you, dear Aunt, for 
the very interesting explanation you have given us ; and 
I will now name the examples I mentioned having 
found as proofs of the Divine mission of some of the 
prophets. We read in Numbers xvi. 28 — 31, after the 
rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, against Moses 
and Aaron : — 

*' And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that 
the Eternal has sent me to do all these things, and 
that thei/ proceeded not from my own mind. If these 
men die the common death of all men, or if they be 
visited after the visitation of all men, then the Lord 
hath not sent me. But if the Lord make a new thing, 
and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up, 
with all that appertaineth unto them, and they go down 
alive to their graves, then you will know that these men 
have incensed the LORD." 

Moses here proposed a test of his mission which was veri- 
fied on the instant ; and yet, but for his faith and confidence 
in God, he could have had no assurance that such would 
be the case; but scarcely had he made an end of speak- 
ing, when the earth clave asunder, and Korah and all 
his company were swallowed up alive ; the chasms 
closed over, and no injury was inflicted but on the men 
mentioned by the prophet. 

And again; when Elijah proposed to the four hundred 
and fifty prophets of Baal, on Mount Carmel, to test 
who was the true God, whether the Eternal whom he 
worshipped, or what they pretended to call gods. — 



THE TRUTH OF PROPHECY. 89 

Apropos^ it has just struck me, how was it that Elijah 
was permitted to sacrifice on Mount Carmel? 1 thought 
it was contrary to the law to do so out of the precincts 
of the temple. 

Aunt. You are quite right, it was unlawful to do so 
anywhere but in the sanctuary; but the Israelites had 
become so wedded to idolatry, that it became necessary 
to give them some striking example of their sin and 
folly ; therefore, for this one time was an infraction of the 
Mosaic precepts permitted, and Elijah was allowed to 
bring a sacrifice on Mount Carmel, as affording the best 
and only place in which a public and practical lesson 
could be given. 

Jacob. The test Elijah proposed was, that the God 
who should send fire from heaven to consume the sacri- 
fice should be acknowledged the true God. The pro- 
phets of Baal prayed in vain to their deities, and cut 
themselves with knives and lancets : no fire came. 
Elijah mocked and derided them, told them to call 
again, for perhaps he was asleep or on a journey: still in 
vain. Then he called the people together, and repaired 
the altar of the Lord which had been destroyed. And 
he took twelve stones, according to the number of the 
tribes of Israel; with these he built an altar in the name 
of the Lord, laid the bullock cut in pieces, and wood, in 
order for the sacrifice; made a trench round about the 
altar, which he caused to be filled with water, besides 
pouring four barrels of the same three times in succession 
over the sacrifice. Then we find : — 

*' And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the 
evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and 
said. Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it 
be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that 
1 am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things 



90 SIXTH CONVEKSATION. 

at Thy word. Hear me, Lord, hear me, that this 
people may know that Thou art the Lord God, and that 
Thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the 
fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, 
and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked 
up the water that was in the trench. And when all the 
people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said. 
The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God" (1 Kings 
xviii. 36—40). 

Thus was Elijah's mission verified, and the prophets 
of Baal were seized and slain. 

Ruth. We also find that Jeremiah's claim to be a 
prophet of the Lord was proved in a remarkable manner. 
After he had foretold to the Israelites, by the command 
of God, that as the consequence of their continued sins, 
their persistence in idolatry, and stubborn refusal to 
return to the worship of the Lord their God, He would 
send Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, against them, to 
destroy their cities, lay waste their land, and to carry 
them away captive, saying — 

*' And this whole land shall be a desolation and an 
astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of 
Babylon seventy years" (Jer. xxv. 11). 

After he had proclaimed this to the nation, there 
arose a man by the name of Hananiah, Avho pretended 
to be inspired, and to have received a mission from the 
Lord to contradict the former prophecy, and to inform 
the people that at the expiration of two years all the 
vessels of the Lord's house that had been taken away by 
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, would be brought 
back to their place, together with Jeconiah, the son of 
Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the captivity of 
Judah. Then Jeremiah addressed the people and Hana- 
niah, saying (xxvii. 9) : — 



THE TRUTH OF PROPHECY. 91 

*' Tlie propliet wliicli prophesietli of peace, when the 
word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the 
prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him." 
And, to prove that Hananiah was a false prophet — 
*' Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the 
prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; the Lord hath not sent 
thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. 
Therefore, thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will cast thee 
from off the face of the earth ; this year thou shalt die, 
because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So 
Hananiah the prophet died the same year, in the seventh 
month" {lb. 1 5 to end). 

Aunt. You have selected very excellent examples; 
but, before we conclude, I wish you both particularly to 
notice the final fulfilment of the prophecy respecting the 
Babylonian captivity ; because, in the instances you have 
adduced, the verification almost immediately followed, 
thereby proving at once the Divine mission of the pro- 
phet; whereas, in this case, a period of seventy years was 
appointed to elapse — and they did elapse ; when, at the 
expiration of the predetermined time, the words of Jere- 
miah were indisputably proved to have been the inspira- 
tion of the Eternal, though he (the prophet) did not 
survive to witness the fulfilment of his prophecy, having 
died in Egypt, whither he had been forcibly carried with 
the remnant of the Jews who refused to hearken to the 
voice of the Lord, commanding them to serve and obey 
their conquerors in their own land. 

We now find, in Jeremiah xxv. 12 — 14: — 
'^ And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are 
accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, 
and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and 
the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual 
desolations. And I will bring upon that land all my 



92 SIXTH CONVERSATION. 

words which I have pronounced against it, even all that 
is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied 
against all the nations. For many nations and great 
kings shall serve themselves of them also; and I will 
recompense them according to their deeds, and according 
to the works of their own hands." 

So much for the prophecy : now let us notice the 
fulfilment. "Within the seventy years, the kingdom was 
wrested from Belshazzar, king of Babylon, the son of 
Nebuchadnezzar, by Darius, sovereign of the Medes and 
Persians. The judgment of Babylon and the Chaldeans 
was literally accomplished. 

*' For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of 
Hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, 
and son, and nephew, saith the Lord. I will also make 
it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water : and I 
will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the 
Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah xiv. 22, 23). 

And thus it is to this day — a waste and desolation. 

" Now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that 
the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might 
be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king 
of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all 
his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying. Thus 
saith C3''rus, king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven 
hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth : and He 
hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, 
which is in Judah" (Ezra i. 1 — 3). 

He then gave pefrmission to the Israelites to go up to 
Jerusalem, and there to build the house of the Lord; 
and those who were disinclined to move from their place 
of sojourning, he urged to assist in the work by free-will 
offerings of gold, silver, goods, and beasts; all of which 
took place. 



THE TRUTH OF PROPHECY. 93 

*' And Cyrus, the king, brought forth the vessels of 
the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had 
brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in 
the house of his gods; even those did Cyrus, king of 
Persia, bring forth by the hand of Methridath the trea- 
surer, and numbered them unto Shesbazzar, the prince 
of Judah" (Ezra i. 7, 8). 

We here clearly trace the entire working out of the 
prophecy in every detail, through the lapse, and at the 
expiration, of the seventy predicted years; and I sin- 
cerely trust, my dear children, I may now in confidence, 
rest on the assurance, that with the interesting proofs we 
have found of the Divine mission of some of the pro- 
phets, and of the fulfilment of their several prophecies, 
a perfect conviction is established in your minds, that 
" all the words of the prophets are true"; and that, as an 
inevitable deduction, we may rest, in unshaken faith, 
that those still unaccomplished, will in the end, be fully 
verified. 



SEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 

Jacob. We have now arrived at tlie seventK article 
of the Creed, " The Prophecy of Moses," which I will 
follow our usual plan of explaining. 

We believe that our legislator, Moses, was the prince 
of prophets, and that none have ever appeared like unto 
him. We read in Deut. xxxiv. 11 to end : — 

" And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like 
unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. In all 
the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to 
do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his 
servants, and to all his land." 

What do you say aunt, to our making an abstract of 
the life of Moses? Do you know, I think we should 
enter more into the spirit of his prophecies, if we were 
to do so, as our interest would previously be excited, 
and carried on up to the important point. 

Aunt. It is not at all a bad plan, if you do not fear 
finding the undertaking rather tedious; for if once you 
commence, it will not be possible to stop short — the 
biography of our glorious legislator and prophet being 
so closely interwoven with every event that occurred to 
the Israelites, from the Exodus until their arrival at the 
confines of the Promised Land. You must not attempt 
to venture on a detailed recital; indeed, it is not at all 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 95 

necessary, as tlie clear and beautiful version of the Bible 
is open to your researches. I would rather that you 
should content yourselves with sketching succinctly the 
chief points in his history: for instance, his appointment 
to the mission that has made him celebrated above all 
men; his character; the several miracles he was called 
upon to perform ; the special marks he received of God's 
favour; and then you can rehearse his song of praise at 
the Red Sea, and portions of his prophecies. We must 
each take our share in this interesting task; therefore 
you Ruth, may begin without any further delay; for 
the subject is so rich and extensive, that I doubt much 
our being able to conclude it this evening. 

Ruth. To commence with the parentage of our legis- 
lator, Moses. He was of the tribe of Levi, the son of 
Amram and Yochebed. We all know the details of his 
infancy; so I shall only observe, that Pharaoh's daugh- 
ter, in rescuing him from destruction, and adopting him 
as her child, gave him the name of Ht^D "Moses" — 
signifying, in Hebrew, " drawing out (of the watery 

Jacob, This name seems to me very applicable in 
every sense; for was he not literally drawn out from 
among his brethren, selected by God as His chosen mes- 
senger? I have heard some persons say, they do not 
like to bear the name of Moses, it is so Jewish — so 
marked. Certainly, it is Jewish; but, with such a glo- 
rious ancestor, I think, on the contrary, we should be 
proud of anything that could connect us in the slightest 
degree with his memory. 

Aunt. I am glad to find you possess such sentiments, 
my boy. What if the names of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 
Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, etc., etc., sound Jewish f 
Were not the individuals to whom they belonged pre- 
eminent in virtues, and specially favoured^ by God ? To 



96 SEVENTH CONVEKSATION. 

despise such an ancestry, is to cast a reproach on our 
Creator — to relinquish recklessly our peculiar privileges 
and distinction, as "the chosen of the Lord"; but we 
must not allow ourselves to diverge too much ; so pro- 
ceed, my dear Kuth. 

Ruth. I think I should mention next^ that Moses 
married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, priest of 
Midian, whither he had fled from Pharaoh's anger, afteif^ 
having killed an Egyptian. He had two sons by his 
wife: the one Gershom, signifying, " I was a stranger in 
the land^^i and the other Eliezer, " the Lord is my help J' 
We now come to the first grand point in the history of 
Moses. — ^- 

Jacob. Which I shall, with your leave, take to my- 
self. While tending the sheep of his father-in-law in 
the wilderness, Moses arrived with his flock at the Mount 
of God, in Horeb. He was suddenly attracted by the 
wonderful appearance of a bush burning without being 
consumed; and on approaching to examine further, was 
startled at hearing his own name called twice, when a 
voice exclaimed — 

'* Draw not hither: put off thy shoes from oflf thy 
feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" 
(Exod. iii. 5). 

The Lord (for the voice was His) then proceeded to 
inform Moses, that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob, with whom He had made a covenant; that 
He had resolved to redeem their descendants from the 
affliction of Egypt, and to bring them into a land flowing 
with milk and honey; also, that He had destined him to 
be His messenger to Pharaoh, and the leader of the 
Israelites after their redemption. Feeling himself un- 
equal to the dignity, 

" And Moses said unto God, What am I, that I should 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 97 

go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the 
children of Israel out of Egypt?" (verse 11). 

Whereupon God graciously gave him a sign in proof 
of the truth of his mission. 

"And He said, Certainly 1 will be with thee; and 
this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee : 
When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, 
ye shall serve God upon this mountain" (verse 12). 

And we know that this promise was literally fulfilled. 
Moses then asked, by what name the God of their ances- 
tors should be announced to the Israelites. 

"And God said unto Moses, H^HK "1^^ rTTl^ I am 
the Unchangeable Eternal Being, who ever will be; and 
He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, 
The Everlasting Being rTTli^ hath sent me unto you" 
(verse 14). 

Having received the detailed commands of God re- 
specting his mission — how he was to assemble the elders 
of Israel, and to apply with them to Pharaoh for per- 
mission to take the people three days^ journey into the 
wilderness, to sacrifice to the Lord their God, and so 
forth — Moses being still afraid they would not hearken 
to him, the Lord gave him two signs and miracles to 
perform before them. He caused his rod to turn into a 
serpent, and back again ; and his hand suddenly to 
become leprous, resuming anew its healthy state. He 
also, told him, if they would not believe those two signs, 
to take of the water of the river, and to pour it on the 
dry land, when it would become blood. Still Moses 
hesitated, under the excuse of want of eloquence. Was 
not that wrong, aunt? It seems as if he had no faith in 
God's power himself 

Aunt. Decidedly it was; and we see that, in conse- 
quence, God's anger was aroused against him : his humi- 

H 



98 SEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

lity at first was right and praiseworthy (for we should 
never be too eager to grasp at dignities); but his persist- 
ence in refusing the honour conferred on him was be- 
coming sinful, as implying a want of faith in the Divine 
Being, who had appointed him His instrument. We 
must not, however, at the same time forget, that the 
position he was called upon to assume, was entirely new 
to Moses ; from the humble station of a simple herdsman, 
he saw himself suddenly elevated to a height and respon- 
sibility beyond his utmost power of conception. It was 
the first communication he had received from his Creator; 
therefore we can scarcely wonder at his fear and reluc- 
tance to undertake a commission, which naturally ap- 
peared to him fraught with insurmountable obstacles; 
and such they would undoubtedly have proved, without 
the intervention and direction of God, who (as I im- 
pressed on you before) does not judge like mortals. He 
graciously made allowance for human weakness and 
infirmity; and, while rebuking, did not cast off His 
chosen servant, but mercifully gave him the assistance 
he required. Thus we find — 

" And the anger of the Lord was kindled against 
Moses, and He said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy bro- 
ther? I know that he can speak well. And also, 
behold, he cometh forth to meet thee : and when he 
seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt 
speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will 
be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach 
you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman 
unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to 
thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead 
of God"(Exod.iv. 14— 17). 

We have now detailed the principal circumstances 
connected with the appointment of Moses to his glorious 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 99 

mission; and as tlie relation of the Exodus will neces- 
sarily be given when treating of tlie festivals, we will 
content ourselves with stating, that in accordance with 
God's word as spoken to Moses, Pharaoh hardened his 
heart on the cessation of each successive plague, refusing 
anew to let the Israelites depart. There were, in all, 
ten ; viz. the plagues of blood, frogs, lice, flies, murrain 
of beasts, boils and blains, hail, locusts, darkness, and, 
lastly^ the death of the first-born, when God's threat was 
fulfilled, and " Israel His first-born" redeemed. Thus— 

*' And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the 
Lord, Israel is my son, even my first-born: and I say 
unto thee. Let my son go, that he may serve me; and if 
thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, 
even thy first-born" (verses 22 — 24). 

And now the Lord's Passover was instituted, afifording 
salvation and deliverance to Israel; and this dreadful 
threat was literally carried into execution. 

*' And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord 
smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the 
first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the 
first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and 
all the first-born of cattle" (Exod. xii. 29). 

Then, and not till then, did Pharaoh and his people 
press and hasten the departure of the Israelites with all 
their might, lending them all they required, as the Lord 
had spoken; for they exclaimed, in their terror, "We 
be all dead men": and thus, in one night, were the 
hosts of Israel led out of Egypt under the guidance of 
Moses and Aaron, after sojourning there 430 years. 

" And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for 
he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God 
will surely visit you; and ye shall carry my bones away 
hence with you" (Exod. xiii. 19). 



100 SEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

We must now proceed to the event whicli gave rise to 
the celebrated song of Moses. 

Ruth. If you will allow me, Aunt, I should very 
much like to undertake that portion of our history. On 
quitting Egypt, God led the Israelites through the 
wilderness to the borders of the Red Sea, causing His 
angel to go before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and 
a pillar of fire by night. Pharaoh speedily repented 
having suffered them to depart. With very little delay, 
he prepared all the chariots and horsemen of Egypt, 
pursued after, and overtook them encamped by the sea 
before Baal-zephon. On the appearance of their cruel 
enemies, the children of Israel were seized with dread, 
and they murmured against the Lord and against His 
servant Moses. 

'' And they said unto Moses, Because there were no 
graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the 
wilderness ? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, 
to carry us forth out of Egypt?" (Exod. xiv. 11). 

Whereupon he encouraged them to place their faith in 
the Lord, and not to fear. " For," said he, "the Egyp- 
tians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again 
no more for ever." 

This was a prophecy which the Lord fulfilled, by 
causing Moses to perform a miracle so astounding in its 
nature, as to impress both the pursuers and pursued with 
amazement and awe. Having placed the pillar of cloud 
behind the Israelites, so that the darkness prevented the 
Egyptians seeing their movements, God commanded 
Moses to stretch forth his rod over the Red Sea, which 
thereupon divided its waters, forming a wall on either 
side, when the Israelites were all safely led through on 
dry land. In the morning, the Egyptians, beholding 
this great marvel, followed hotly after them into the 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 101 

midst of tlie sea, witK all tlieir cliariots and horsemen; 
upon which the Lord commanded Moses again to stretch 
forth his hand— -when, behold! the waters of the sea 
returned to their appointed place, and the whole host of 
Pharaoh was swallowed up. 

'' And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did 
upon the Egyptians: and. the people feared the Lord, 
and believed the Lord, and His servant Moses" (verse 
31). 

*' Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song 
unto the Lord ; and thus did they say, I will sing unto 
the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse 
and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord 
is my strength and song, and He is become my salva- 
tion: He is my God, and I will prepare an habitation 
fbr Hiin; my father's God, and I will exalt Him. The 
Eternal is the Lord of war, the Eternal Lord is His 
name. The war-chariots and host of Pharaoh hath He 
cast into the sea: his chosen captains sunk in the Eed 
Sea. The depths have covered them : they sank down 
to the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, Lord, is 
become glorious in power: Thy right hand, Lord, 
hath crushed the enemy. And in the greatness of Thine 
excellency hast Thou overthrown them who rose up 
against Thee. Thou didst send forth Thy wrath, which 
consumed them as stubble. And with the breath of 
Thy nostrils the waters were heaped together; the floods 
stood upright as a wall, and the depths became congealed 
in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, 
overtake, divide the spoil; my soul shall be glutted with 
vengeance; I will unsheath my sword, my hand shall 
destroy them. Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the 
sea covered them ; they sank as lead in the mighty 
waters. Who is like unto Thee, Lord, among the 



102 SEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

miglity? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, tre- 
mendous in praises, working miracles? Thou stretchedst 
out Thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Now 
dost Thou guide with Thy kindness the people Thou 
hast redeemed, and leadest them by Thine Omnipotence 
to Thy holy habitation. The people shall hear and 
tremble; sorrow shall seize the inhabitants of Palestine. 
Then shall the dukes of Edom be troubled; trembling 
shall take hold of the mighty men of Moab: all the 
inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread 
shall fall on them; by the greatness of Thine arm they 
shall be still as a stone, till Thy people pass over, 
Lord ! till the people pass over whom Thou hast acquired. 
Thou shalt bring them and plant them in the mount of 
Thine inheritance, the place, Lord, which Thou hast 
made for Thy residence ; in the sanctuary, Lord, 
which Thy hands have established. The Lord shall 
reign for ever and ever" (Exod. xv. 1 — 19). 

Jacob. What a beautiful song of praise that is. Aunt I 
I have always enjoyed hearing it sung in synagogue; 
but now, following immediately on the sketch of the 
events that called it forth, it seems to have acquired a 
new interest, to appeal more to one's feelings; the mean- 
ing of each verse stands out clearer. I do not quite 
know how to explain myself; but, somehow, I feel that 
I shall enjoy it doubly in future. I think, now, I ought 
to come in for my share of the relation; so shall proceed 
to the next miracle performed by Moses, which was at 
Marah, where, at the command of God, he sweetened 
the waters by casting a tree into them, whereupon they 
became sweet and nice to the palate. In the wilderness 
of Sin, the Israelites murmured against the Lord, and 
clamoured for bread; when He again hearkened to their 
cry, sent them quails, and rained down bread for them 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 103 

from Heaven — *' a small round thing, as small as the 
hoar frost on the ground." The people called it ^^ manna" ; 
for they knew not what it was. God commanded them 
to gather every man an omer daily, according to his 
eating, and according to his family; and to eat it the 
self-same day, not leaving any of it until the morning, 
as it would become rancid and unfit for use : only on the 
sixth day were they to gather a double portion, and to 
prepare it for the Sabbath; so that they should do no 
work on God^s holy day. The manna was perfectly 
good on the seventh day, thereby proving to the Israel- 
ites the sanctity of the Sabbath. This heaven-sent bread, 
manna, never failed them for forty years, through their 
journey ings in the wilderness, till they came to the land 
of Canaan. Rephidim was the next scene of a miracle : 
the people murmuring anew for water, God commanded 
Moses to take the rod with which he smote the river, 
and to strike the rock in Horeb, from which He caused 
water to issue abundantly. Moses called this place 
Massah or Meribah, because the Israelites strove and 
tempted the Lord, saying, *' Is the Lord among us or 
not?" I think the descent on Sinai will now demand 
our attention. 

Ruth. You have forgotten one more wonder pre^ 
viously performed through Moses. Do you not remem- 
ber, that when Joshua went out with the Israelites to 
fight against Amalek, that as j\Ioses held up his hand 
the former prevailed, and when he let it down, Amalek 
conquered? And as he became wearied, Aaron and 
Hur *' stayed up his hands on either side, until the 
going down of the sun," upon which Joshua gained a 
complete victory? 

Aunt. You have a very retentive memory, my love; 
but we are now approaching the grand and most sublime 



104 SEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

point in our history — the revelation of the Law on 
Sinai; whicli, however, we will, in all respect, merely 
glance over at present, as it belongs more particularly 
to the next article of the Creed, " the Delivery of the 
Law"; but I would wish you specially to observe how 
the increasing confidence of the Israelites, in the truth and 
delegated power of their leader, was manifested on this 
occasion. Being seized with dread and terror after the 
delivery of the Ten Commandments, when they had 
been permitted to hear the voice of the Lord out of 
the midst of the fire, they implored Moses to be their 
mediator with the Eternal, saying: — 

*' Behold, the Eternal our God has let us see His 
glory and greatness, and His voice we have heard from 
amidst the fire; this day we have seen that man can 
live when God speaks to him. Do thou approach now, 
and hear all that the Eternal our God may yet say, 
and speak thou to us, all that the Eternal our God will 
speak to thee, and we will accept it, and act accordingly" 
(Deut.v.24, 27). 

God was pleased to approve of their petition, for He 
knew the trustworthiness of their prophet and messenger, 
and that all His words and precepts would be faithfully 
transmitted. In conjunction with this openly-displayed 
confidence, I think we shall not find a better opportunity 
of recording the exalted testimony which the Eternal 
bore in favour of Moses, at the time of the sedition of 
Aaron and Miriam, when the Lord having rebuked 
them : — 

" He said. Hear my words: If there be a prophet 
among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto 
him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 
My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all my 
house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, even 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 105 

apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude 
of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye 
not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (Num. 
xii. 6— 9). 

The destruction of the two tables of stone, is the next 
remarkable event in the life of our legislator, and the 
circumstances connected with it furnish us with an 
example of one, among the many touching and beautiful 
traits in his character. Having ascended the mount, in 
obedience to the command of God, he remained there 
forty days and forty nights, receiving His divine pre- 
cepts; when his absence having been prolonged further 
than the Israelites had anticipated, they gathered them- 
selves to Aaron, and entreated him to make them gods 
who would lead and guide them ; for they said they 
knew not what had become of Moses. Whereupon he 
took all their jewels, and made them a golden calf, 
which they worshipped, saying — " These be thy gods, 
Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of 
Egypt." 

" And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this 
people, and behold, it is a stilFnecked people; now there- 
fore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against 
them; and that I may consume them; and I will make 
of thee a great nation " (Ex. xxxii. 9 — 11). 

Here was an opportunity actually offered to Moses, 
which, had he embraced, would have afforded him 
ample compensation and revenge for the bitter trials and 
ingratitude he had unceasingly encountered from the peo- 
ple, whom he had led and tended with such unwearying 
faith and patience; he had but to accede, when they 
would have been cast off for ever, while he and his 
descendants would have filled their place, and succeeded 
to their promised blessings. Did our glorious legislator 



106 SEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

succumb to the temptation? Far from it; not for an 
instant did the wavering wish sully the pure surface of 
his mind. Casting aside all selfish considerations and 
calculations of personal interest and retaliation, Moses 
had but one thought — the glory of his God; to whom 
he replied : — 

" Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say. 
For mischief did He bring them out, to slay them in 
the mountains, and to consume them from the face of 
the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath and repent of 
this evil against Thy people. Kemember Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, Thy servants, to whom Thou swearest 
by Thine ownself^ and saidst unto them, I will multiply 
your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I 
have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they 
shall inherit it for ever. And the Lord repented of the 
evil which He thought to do unto His people " (Exodus 
xxxii. 12—15). 

Now as Moses descended the mount with the two 
tables of testimony — tables of stone, written with the 
finger of God — in his hand, he, with his minister Joshua, 
heard the noise of shouting and singing, and on their 
approach to the camp, they beheld the people dancing 
round the golden calf; whereupon, in the excitement of 
his anger, "he cast the tables out of his hand, and broke 
them beneath the mount.^^ 

Ruth. He soon shewed the wicked Israelites the 
nothingness of their self-made God, for he had it ground 
to powder, mixed it with water, and made them drink 
it. About three thousand of the people were slain as 
an expiation for the general sin by the Levites, who had 
ranged themselves on the Lord's side to do His bidding; 
and after that, did not Moses intercede for them again? 

Aunt. He displayed at this period a spirit of for- 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 107 

bearance and self-sacrifice, unequalled either before or 
after, for fame was no incentive to him; unlike the 
heroes of profane history, he was solely influenced by 
motives of love and devotion to his Creator: thus we 
find him not only again interceding for his sinful bre- 
thren, but ofiTering himself as an atonement for them. 

*' And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh 
this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them 
gods of gold. Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their 
sin — ; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy 
book which Thou hast written. And the Lord said 
unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him 
will I blot out of my book" (Ex.xxxii. 31—34). 

God would not, and did not accept the sacrifice of 
His faithful servant; but that did not in the least 
diminish the merit of the ofier, which was made in 
perfect truth and sincerity. 

Jacob. I think we should now proceed to shew, how 
signally Moses was favoured and distinguished above 
all other mortals, inasmuch as he was not alone permitted 
to hold verbal communication with the Eternal, but 
likewise at his own request^ to behold His glory; for 
after having besought the Lord to continue His guid- 
ance to the Israelites: — 

*' He said, I beseech Thee, shew me Thy glory. 
And He [the Lord] said, I will make all my goodness 
pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the 
Lord before thee ; and I will be gracious to whom I will 
be gracious, and I will shew mercy on whom 1 will 
shew mercy. And He said. Thou canst not see my face: 
for there shall no man see me, and live. And the Lord 
said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand 
upon a rock : and it shall come to pass, while my glory 
passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, 



108 SEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

and will cover thee witK my hand while I pass by : and 
I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my 
back: but my face shall not be seen" (Exodus xxxiii. 
18—23). 

The Lord then commanded Moses to hew two other 
tables of stone like unto the first, and to bring them up 
into the mount, where he again remained forty days and 
forty nights, neither eating bread, nor drinking water; 
and when he came down with the tables of testimony 
in his hand, his face shone so, that Aaron and the people 
feared to approach him. He covered it with a veil while 
addressing them, but removed it when " he went in 
before the Lord." He then rehearsed to the Israelites 
all that he had been entrusted to communicate to them 
■ — the Ten Commandments, the ordination of the Sab- 
bath and festivals, the minute regulations for the erection 
of the tabernacle, and consecration of the priesthood, 
for the sacrifices and offerings, in fact he repeated the 
whole of the glorious code of laws that has been our 
guide from that memorable day unto the present time. 

Ruth. It really is my turn now to continue our 
sketch, for I have been a silent listener a long time. 
After the tabernacle was completed and reared, we next 
find our legislator commanded to anoint Aaron and his 
sons to a perpetual priesthood, to number the people, to 
instruct the priests in the form of blessing the children 
of Israel,"^ and to consecrate the Levites to the service of 
the tabernacle, to minister unto the priests in their sacred 
offices. 

* The form of blessing is as follows (Numb. vi. 24 to end) : — 
" The Lord bless and preserve thee ; the Lord let His counte- 
nance shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee ; the Lord 
turn His countenance towards thee, and give thee peace. And 
they shall put my name on the children of Israel, and I will 
bless them." 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 109 

Aunt. I am sorry to interrupt you, my love, but I 
sKould like to know if you bave ever observed any pecu- 
liarity in our public worship, reminding us of this dis- 
tinction; for unhappily, since our dispersion, we have 
neither high-priest, temple, nor Levites to minister 
therein. 

Jacob. I know to what you allude, Aunt; at the 
reading of the law in synagogue, a Cohen and a Levi 
(there being generally one, at least, of each name pre- 
sent) are always called up to hear the first two portions 
of the weekly section read ; and the Cohanim also alone 
stand at the Hechol, or ark where the rolls of the law 
are deposited, to accompany the reader in blessing the 
congregation, or rather they repeat after him, each word 
of the three verses. There are many of the respective 
names among us still, and I am sure they must feel 
proud of the honour and privilege of assisting to comme- 
morate our former priesthood. 

Aunt. You have observed well, and drawn a very 
correct inference. The reality having been withdrawn 
from us, we are glad to avail ourselves of every opportu- 
nity of keeping up the remembrance of our former pri- 
vileges. But I think now we had better conclude for 
this evening, as we shall otherwise either extend our dis- 
cussion to an immoderate length, or be obliged to curtail 
much that is interesting; therefore, I propose that we 
adjourn till next week. 



EIGHTH CONVERSATION, 

PROPHECY OF MOSES — CONCLUDED. 

Aunt. I THINK, my dear cliildren, we sKall resume 
our interesting subject at the point when Moses_, dis- 
pleased and wearied in spirit with the repeated murmur- 
ing of the Israelites, complains unto the Lord, saying : — 
" I am not able to bear all this people alone, because 
2^ 15 too heavy for me" (Numb. xi. 14); when the Lord 
commanded him to assemble seventy of the elders of 
Israel, telling him that He would put of His spirit upon 
them, so that they should share the burden of the people 
with him : — 

*' And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake 
unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and 
gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, 
that when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, 
and did not cease" {Ihid. 25). 

Here again, we have an instance of the humility and 
self-abnegation of our legislator. Joshua, his servant, 
having been informed that two of the elders, Eldad and 
Medad, were prophesying openly in the camp, entreated 
him to forbid them : — 

" Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the 
men which were upon the face of the earth" (Numb. 
xii.3). 

*' And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. Ill 

sake? Would God that all tlie Lord's people were pro- 
phets, and that the Lord would put His spirit upon 
them"(/^zW. xi.29). 

Although hitherto he had shone unrivalled as the 
messenger of God and the dispenser of His decrees, no 
petty feelings of envy and regret for his lost individual 
pre-eminence crossed his mind for a second ; his whole 
thoughts and aspirations were devoted to the service of 
his Creator, and to the welfare of his brethren the chil- 
dren of Israel ; and could they each and all, in acquiring 
perfect faith, obedience, and submission, have become 
worthy of standing forth as prophets of the Lord, most 
willingly would he have placed himself on their level, 
and shared the dignity with them. 

Ruth. He was indeed a truly good man ; and what a 
stock of patience he must have possessed to have borne 
:with such continual murmurs and ingratitude as he 
encountered ! When the Israelites arrived at the wilder- 
ness of Paran, the Lord commanded Moses to send 
twelve men, one from each tribe, to search out and 
report of the land of Canaan; and, on their return, they 
all, with the exception of Joshua the son of Nun, and 
Caleb the son of Jephunneh, discouraged the people, 
telling them that though the land was good and rich in 
produce, the inhabitants were giants, whom it would be 
impossible to overcome. They accordingly refused to 
march against them, and began murmuring anew at 
having been brought up from Egypt. Then was the 
anger of the Lord fearfully roused against them; He 
threatened to destroy them utterly with the pestilence, 
and offered again to make of Moses " a greater and 
mightier nation than they." But the humility and 
virtue of the prophet was no less steadfast than on the 



112 EIGHTH CONVERSATION. 

first trial; lie interceded and entreated so earnestly, tKat 
once again was the Lord persuaded to relent. 

•* And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to 
thy word. But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be 
filled with the glory of the Lord" (Numb. xiv. 20— 22). 

The Lord then declared that none of the Israelites, 
with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, from twenty 
years old and upwards, should enter the Promised Land, 
but that they should wander for forty years in the wil- 
derness, according to the days they had been searching 
the land, and should die ofi" there; that however, their 
children should know the land they had despised. We 
have already mentioned the rebellion of Korah and its 
consequences in discussing "the truth of prophecy;" 
after which, to prove to the Israelites that the tribe of 
Levi was specially chosen to minister before Him, the 
Lord commanded Moses to take a rod from each of the 
princes of the tribes, causing each man to write his name 
on his rod, and Aaron wrote his name on the rod of 
Levi ; then the Lord said : — 

" And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the 
congregation, before the testimony, where I will meet 
with you. And it shall come to pass, that the man's 
rod whom I shall choose shall blossom ; and I will make 
to cease from me the murmurings of the children of 
Israel, whereby they murmur against you" (Numb. vii. 
4—6). 

On the morrow Aaron's rod was found to have budded, 
blossomed, and yielded almonds; and it was ordered to 
be laid up in the testimony as a memorial. 

Jacob. We have now arrived at the most painful 
event in the history of Moses, that which caused his 
exclusion from the Promised Land; and you cannot 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 113 

imagine Aunt, the strange feeling of regret that crosses 
my mind when I think of it; after displaying such ex- 
emplary virtues, it seems such a pity that any sin should 
have tarnished the lustre of his character. But, perhaps, 
if he had not erred in this one instance, the effect of his 
example would have been lost to us; for neither our 
forefathers, nor we even, could have regarded him as 
a mortal like ourselves if he had been totally free from 
failings. 

Aunt. I quite sympathise in your feelings, my dear 
boy; the character of Moses was so otherwise unexcep- 
tionable, that it is painful to discover a flaw in the 
mirror we had 4eemed perfect. But now continue your 
recital. 

Jacob. The children of Israel having arrived at 
Kadesh, where Miriam died, again murmured for water; 
upon which God commanded Moses with Aaron to 
assemble the people, and to take the rod, and speak to 
the rock, wdien it would give forth water abundantly: — 

" And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation 
together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear, 
now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this 
rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod 
he smote the rock twice : and the water came out abun- 
dantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts 
also. And the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron, 
Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes 
of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this 
congregation into the land which I have given them" 
(Numb. XX. 10— 13). 

Aunt. Thus you perceive, my dear children, that 
even Moses, the devoted servant of the Lord, was 
punished for the one great sin of his life, his momentary 
want of faith; and this instance alone must convince us 

I 



114 EIGHTH CONVERSATION. 

that to the Eternal all are indeed alike: " He hath no 
respect to persons;" His glorious prophet waSj in expia- 
tion of error, equally amenable to His decrees as the least 
of his brethren. 

Ruth. We should now mention, that Aaron having 
died at Mount Hor, Eleazar, his son, was anointed priest 
in his stead; and the next wonder performed through 
the instrumentality of Moses was on the occasion of the 
Lord sending fiery serpents among the people for their 
renewed disobedience and murmuring; when, on his 
interceding in their behalf^ God told him to make a fiery 
serpent, and to set it on a pole, and that then all who 
were bitten and looked on it should live : — 

" And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon 
a pole ; and it came to pass^ that if a serpent had bitten 
any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass he lived" 
(Numb. xxi. 9). 

Some time after, he was commanded to communicate 
to Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the 
high-priest, God*s gracious covenant of an everlasting 
priesthood to him and his descendants for ever, as a 
reward for his zeal in punishing crime when the Israel- 
ites had fallen into idolatry at Baal Peor ; wherefore God 
said unto Moses: — 

" Therefore say. Behold, I give unto him my cove- 
nant of peace. And he shall have it, and his seed after 
him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; 
because he was zealous for his God, and made an atone- 
ment for the children of Israel" (Numb. xxv. 12 — 14). 

After this, Moses was again ordered to number the 
people in the plains of Moab, near Jericho; also to fix 
the boundaries of the land of Canaan, and to appoint 
eight-and-forty cities for the Levites, out of which six 
"were to be cities of refuge. 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 115 

Aunt. The sketch of the life of our prophet and 
legislator is now drawing to a conclusion. In the for- 
tieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the 
month, having arrived at the confines of Canaan on this 
side of the river Jordan, he addressed the Israelites; re- 
lated to them the story of God's promise, and all that 
He had done for them, notwithstanding their manifold 
sins and rebellions; also, all that had befallen them in 
consequence of their disobedience; and then he shewed 
them how that " the Lord had been wroth with him for 
their sakes," and had refused to allow him to accompany 
them over Jordan into the Promised Land. After this, 
he proceeded to rehearse to them again the command- 
ments, statutes, and judgments which he had been com- 
manded to teach them in Horeb; and firstly, as the 
groundwork of their faith, he proclaimed most solemnly 
the unity of God, saying: — 

•' Hear, Israel! The Lord our God is One 
Lord." 

The following verses, with others, forming the prayer 
called the '* Shemang," are so familiar to you, my dear 
children, that it is needless to repeat them here, as we 
shall have occasion to refer to them hereafter in treat- 
ing of our peculiar observances. The whole of the 
book of Deuteronomy is so replete with impressive ex- 
hortations to holiness and obedience, that it is scarcely 
right or possible to make a selection from the many 
beautiful lessons it inculcates, and I would most earnestly 
recommend you to give it constant and careful study; 
still there are a few points to which I wish particularly 
to draw your attention, and I have little doubt but that 
your interest will be sufficiently excited to render you 
anxious to become more thoroughly acquainted with the 
whole version. In anticipating the time when the Israel- 



116 EIGHTH CONVERSATION. 

ites shall liave taken possession of the Promised Land, 
Moses exhorts them to remember gratefully the Source of 
all their blessings, saying : — 

" Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in 
not keeping His commandments, and judgments, and 
His statutes, which I command thee this day. Lest 
when thou hast eaten, and art satisfied, and hast built 
goodly houses, and dwelt therein ; and when thy herds 
and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is 
multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; then 
thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy 
God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, 
from the house of bondage; who led thee through that 
great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery ser- 
pents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no 
water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of 
flint; who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which 
thy fathers knew not, that He might humble thee, and 
that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter 
end; and thou say in thine heart, My power and the 
might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But 
thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is He that 
giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish 
His covenant which He sware unto thy fathers, as it is 
this day" (Deut.viii.il— 19). 

Ruth. This warning was certainly very necessary 
Aunt; for how often do we see and hear of persons who 
were humble and amiable under privation, becoming 
proud and overbearing on the accession of great wealth. 
It is strange how circumstances alter character: 1 have 
noticed this particularly in the case of one of my school 
companions, whose parents were very straitened in means 
until the last month, when they most unexpectedly 
inherited a large fortune from a distant relative. You 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 117 

cannot imagine the difference this has made in Emily; 
she is always boasting of her father's riches, thinks none 
equal to her, and, indeed, makes herself so disagreeable, 
that I could not help reminding her yesterday there was 
no merit in gaining a thing by chance, and that instead 
of being proud, she ought to thank God for the gift. 

Aunt. Your reproof was very just, my love, but I 
trust that no feelings of envy originated it; and as to 
circumstances changing a person's character, I do not 
quite agree with you on that point ; I am of opinion that 
they rather draw it forth. The germs of certain quali- 
ties frequently lie dormant until some particular occasion 
develops them; therefore is it so incumbent on us to 
pray earnestly to our Heavenly Father to guard and 
*' cleanse us from secret faults." But we really must not 
diverge any more, or we shall never conclude our sub- 
ject. We have now arrived at the celebrated prophecy 
of Moses; and in order to render this important and (to 
us) most interesting subject perfectly clear to your com- 
prehension, we will I think, confine ourselves to the 
more forcible points, touching first on the threatening 
portion of our punishment that has been, and is still 
being, fulfilled; we can then rehearse the subsequent 
consolatory prediction relating to our future redemption, 
and at the same time bring forward some corroborative 
examples from the later prophets. Thus we find in 
Leviticus, that Moses was commanded by the Lord to 
propose to the Israelites a blessing for obedience, and a 
curse in the event of their disobedience in the Promised 
Land; when, having rehearsed the same, speaking from 
the Lord, he says: — 

" And I will scatter you among the heathen, and I 
will draw out a sword after you : and your land shall be 
desolate, and your cities waste. Then shall the land enjoy 



118 EIGHTH CONVERSATION. 

Ker sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in 
your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and 
enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it shall 
rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye 
dwelt upon it." 

Jacob. Excuse my interrupting you, Aunt; but does 
not this refer to the law of the Sabbatical year? 

Aunt. Certainly, and I am glad you have noticed the 
application. But now to continue: — 

'* And upon them that are left alive of you I will 
send a falntness into their hearts in the lands of their 
enemies, and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them, 
and they shall flee as fleeing from a sword; and they 
shall flee when none pursueth: and ye shall have no 
power to stand before your enemies. And ye shall 
perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies 
shall devour you." 

Ruth. This is not quite clear to me. Aunt, because 
we have not perished ; our nation still exists. 

Aunt. If you had waited a few moments, you would 
have seen, by what follows, it was not intended to be 
understood that we should utterly perish, but only that, 
as a punishment for our sins, we should many of us suffer 
greatly, be put to death, or die from various causes 
among the heathen. Thus you will find — 

" And they that are left of you shall pine away in 
their iniquities in your enemies' lands; and also in the 
iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with 
them" (Lev.xxvi. 33— 40). 

Thus you perceive, my love, how clearly it is shewn, 
that we were not to be entirely destroyed. Shortly 
before the death of our legislator, we find that having 
recapitulated all the commandments and laws anew to 
the Israelites, most of whom were the children of those 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 119 

wKo had witnessed tlie solemn and awful descent on 
Sinai, forty years having elapsed since that memorable 
event, he proceeded to exhort them most impressively to 
obedience, and again held forth promises of blessings 
and curses, though on a far more extended scale than on 
the previous occasion; and foreseeing their future apos- 
tasy, he says: — 

" The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou 
shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor 
thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other 
gods, wood and stone. And thou shalt become an as- 
tonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations 
whither the Lord shall lead thee " (Deut. xxviii. 36, 37). 

Jacob. How this prophecy must have struck the 
Israelites in after days ! because, at the time it was uttered 
they had no king, nor any idea of having one; and how 
perfectly the 13th and 14th verses of the forty- fourth 
Psalm agree with the continuation ! What Moses predicts 
will take place, they describe as precisely occurring. 

Aunt. I suppose 1 must not quarrel with the drags 
you put on the chain of my discourse, my boy, since 
they serve to evince your interest; but now pray let me 
continue. 

" Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and 
shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed ; 
because thou hearkened st not unto the voice of the Lord 
thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes 
which He commanded thee. And they shall be upon 
thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for 
ever" (/M. 45, 46). 

Now do you not see that it is utterly impossible our 
entire destruction could have been meant in the first 
verse, w^hich corresponds to the one you noticed before, 
when in the next we are told that these signs, etc., 



120 EIGHTH CONVERSATION. 

should be on our "seed for ever"? If it had been in- 
tended that the nation should be annihilated, where 
would be the descendants on whom the curse of punish- 
ment was to rest? From here to the 58th verse, the 
prophet gives a graphic but heartrending portraiture of 
the horrors that occurred at the siege of Jerusalem ; and 
by reading this description attentively, and comparing it 
with the relation of that disastrous event by Josephus 
and other chroniclers of our history, you will not fail 
to discover the marvellous precision with which almost 
every detail is foreshewn. The prophet, after predicting 
that we should be visited by every disease, pestilence, 
etc., continues that portion of the prophecy which we 
have already discussed so minutely in our conversation on 
" the Divinity of the Bible/' and which I trust is too 
firmly impressed on your memory to require recapitula- 
tion ; therefore, having demonstrated the past and present 
fulfilment of the prediction respecting our existing cap- 
tivity, we will now turn to the consoling promises of 
future pardon and redemption, to the fulfilment of which 
we, the " peculiar people" of the Most High God, whose 
word is immutable, look forward in unwavering faith and 
trust. We find that our gracious God holds forth the 
hope of mercy to the penitent, and tells them, through 
His prophet, that if they will accept the punishment of 
their sins, and return to His service with their whole 
heart, that He will then remember the covenant He 
made with their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob. 

" And yet for all that, when they be in the land of 
their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I 
abhor them, to destroy them utterly and to break my 
covenant with them ; for I am the Lord their God. But 
I will, for their sakes, remember the covenant of their 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 121 

ancestors whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt 
in the sight of the heathen " (Lev. xxviii. 44 — 46). 

Tiuth. Why, Aunt, if I had only read this before, I 
should not have troubled you with my questions; for 
here is an undoubted assertion from the Lord that we 
should not be utterly destroyed. 

Aunt* I was quite prepared for your discovering this, 
my love; indeed, it is a very common though erroneous 
practice, particularly among our opponents of a different 
faith, to deduce inferences from disjointed verses, with- 
out regard to the context or general sense of the subject; 
whereas nothing can induce more fallacious reasoning, 
for there is such a close connection existing throughout 
the whole of the scriptures, that if sought in a right 
spirit, the true signification of a passage is sure to be 
elicited. We now find, with the same provisal of re- 
pentance : — 

^' If any of thine be driven out unto the outward parts 
of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather 
thee, and from thence will he fetch thee. And the Lord 
thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers 
possessed, and thou shalt possess it ; and He will do thee 
good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the 
Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart 
of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy 
heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. And 
the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine 
enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted 
thee. And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the 
Lord, and do all His commandments which I command 
thee this day. And the Lord thy God will make thee 
plenteous in every work of thy hand, in the fruit of thy 
body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy 
land, for good : for the Lord will again rejoice over thee 



122 EIGHTH CONVEKSATION". 

for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers. If thou shalt 
hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep 
His commandments and His statutes which are written 
in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord 
thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul " 
(Deut. XXX.4 — 11). 

Jacob. This is indeed clear, and ought to incite us to 
lead a good and religious life, that we may deserve the 
great reward that is promised to us; but, Aunt, after all, 
what is the use of one person here and there living vir- 
tuously? Single efforts will not advance our redemption: 
the prophecy is addressed to the whole nation. 

Aunt. My dear boy, I did not expect such a heedless 
remark from you. Have you already forgotten that you 
will be accountable for every action of your life to our 
Almighty God; and then, will you tell me of what a 
nation is composed, if not of individuals? Now if every 
one were to hold back, from the same erroneous idea 
that his, or her efforts would be of no avail, in what an 
unfortunate position should we be placed ! On the con- 
trary, such is the great mercy of our Creator, that we 
may strive on in confidence and trust, that the most 
trifling inclination to virtue is registered in our favor, 
therefore every unit is of consequence as a fractional part 
of a whole; and the more earnestly we combine our 
individual efforts, the more vividly may we look forward 
with hope of eventual pardon and redemption. But I 
will now bring forward a few corroborative examples 
from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, though only just 
sufficient to prove the connection with the prophecy of 
Moses, as we shall enlarge on this subject in treating of 
the *' Advent of the Messiah." Thus we find: — 

" For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet 
choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 123 

strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave 
to the house of Jacob " (Isaiah xiv. 1). 

*' But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, 
Jacob, and He that formed thee^ Israel, Fear not: for 
I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, 
thou art mine" (JM.xliii. 1). 

"Behold 1 will bring them from the north country, 
and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with 
them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and 
she that travaileth with child together : a great company 
shall return thither " ( Jer. xxxi. 8). 

*' Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light 
by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars 
for a light by nighty which divideth the sea when the 
waves thereof roar; the Lord of Hosts is His name: If 
those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lordj 
then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation 
before me for ever^' (Ibid.S6 — 37). 

" For I will take you from among the heathen, and 
gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into 
your own land" (Ezekiel xxxvi. 24). 

*' And they shall dwell in the land that I have given 
unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt, 
and they shall dwell therein, even they and their children, 
and their children's children for ever, and my servant 
David shall be their prince for ever " {Ibid, xxxvii. 25). 

We could, of course, produce similar evidence without 
end, both from these and almost all the other prophets ; 
but as what we have adduced serves clearly to prove the 
connecting link between the earlier and later predictions, 
I shall leave you to seek further for yourselves, and will 
now proceed to sum up the closing events in the life of 
our prophet and legislator. Moses, having exhorted the 
Israelites to confide in the Lord, and to obey Joshua, 



124 EIGHTH CONVERSATION. 

who was destined to lead them after his death, was com- 
manded to present himself, with his minister, in the 
tabernacle of the congregation, when the Eternal spake 
unto him, and shewed him how, that " when he should 
sleep with his fathers,^' the people would surely rise up, 
forsake the law and covenant, and would turn from their 
God; that then His anger would be sorely kindled 
against them, and He would bring great evil on them in 
retribution for their sins; all of which He desired Moses 
to write in a song, and to teach it to the children of 
Israel, that it might be a witness against them, which it 
is truly unto this day. You will find it in Deut. xxii., 
and I strongly recommend your studying it attentively, 
as it is in fact another form of the same prophecy we 
have just examined. And now, having bestowed a 
blessing on each of the respective tribes of Israel, Moses, 
the pious, the humble and the good, who in his own 
person united almost all the virtues, with but few of the 
frailties of human nature — Moses, our prophet and law- 
giver, was commanded by the Lord to ascend the moun- 
tain of Nebo, in the plains of Moab, over against Jericho 
and there to overlook the land of Canaan, the land of 
Promise, which he had forfeited the right of entering 
from his one great sin of disobedience, in having failed 
to sanctify the Lord at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, 
before the children of Israel. 

" And the Lord said unto him. This is the land which 
I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, 
saying, I will give it unto thy seed : I have caused thee 
to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over 
thither^' (Deut. xxxiv. 4). 

Thus died Moses, the servant of the Lord, in the 
Mount. He was buried in the plains of Moab; being a 
hundred and twenty years old; and so highly favoured 



I 



THE PROPHECY OF MOSES. 125 

was he, tliat not witlistan ding all the trials he had under- 
gone, " his eye was not dim, nor his natural force 
abated." The children of Israel mourned thirty days 
for him, as they had done for Aaron his brother. 

" And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like 
unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face" (verse 
10). 



NINTH CONVEKSATION. 

THE REVELATION OF THE LAW. — THE PERMANENCY 
OF THE LAW. 

Jacob. As we have concluded the interesting history 
of our legislator, Moses, I suppose the eighth article of 
the Creed, " The Kevelation of the Law," will be the 
subject of our conversation this evening. Do you know. 
Aunt, the further we advance, the more thankful we 
both feel to our dear parents, for having so strictly 
enforced our reading a psalm and chapter from the Bible 
daily, in addition to the weekly portion on the Sabbath. 
We found it rather irksome for some time, not being 
able to understand many passages; but I have noticed 
that they become clearer with every repetition; and I 
am sure we should not have enjoyed these discussions, 
nor have derived half so much benefit from them, had 
we not been able to contribute our share of the quota- 
tions; indeed, we have now acquired such a habit of 
commencing the day with a chapter from the Scriptures, 
that I have no doubt we should feel strange and uncom- 
fortable in omitting it. 

Aunt. I am glad to find you have at length obtained 
this feeling, my dear children; it is the certain reward 
of perseverance in a right course ; for I consider that if 
we commence our daily studies with the Word of God, 
and are mindful of what it teaches us, we are laying a 
solid foundation for our other pursuits. We should 



THE DELIVERY OP THE LAW. 127 

regard the Bible as our monitor and guardian friend, 
from whose inexhaustible stores of wisdom, piety, and 
comfort, we should seek constant instruction — applying 
to it daily J as *' the friend that loveth at all times/' rather 
than as the exalted guest, to be welcomed only at stated 
periods. In the one case, we are influenced only by 
respect; in the other, by respect united to love, grati- 
tude, and reverence for the Source of this great blessing, 
that is placed within the compass of all ; for does not our 
legislator say — 

" For this commandment which I command thee this 
day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It 
is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say. Who shall go 
up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may 
hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that 
thou shouldest say. Who shall go over the sea for us, 
and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 
But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and 
in thy heart, that thou mayest do it" (Deut. xxx. 11 
-15). 

Jacob. I wish. Aunt, you would allow us, before we 
define *Hhe revelation of the law," to make a few remarks 
on the fact of the Israelites having been specially chosen, 
from among all the nations of the earth, to receive God's 
holy law ; or rather, to go at once to the fountain-head, 
can you inform us why our ancestor, the patriarch 
Abraham, was selected in the first instance? for of course 
we know, that it is through his merit we his descend- 
ants inherit this great boon. We find, in the Bible, that 
the Lord revealed Himself to Abraham, desiring him to 
leave his father's house, his kindred, and country, for the 
land which He would show him ; but there is no reason 
assigned for his having been thus singled out to receive 
the great blessing that immediately follows. 



128 NINTH CONVERSATION. 

" And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will 
bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be 
a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and 
curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all the 
families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. xii. 2 — 4). 

We read of the fact, but of nothing further; there is 
no account given of his previous life, to assist us in our 
surmises on the subject. 

Aunt. Therefore, my dear boy, do we clearly per- 
ceive that this direct knowledge is concealed from us by 
the will of God; and that, in consequence, we are in 
duty bound to accept His decision in humble, unreason- 
ing faith as to the wisdom and justice of His decree; for 
as the earlier records from the creation were written by 
Moses at His command, had the Eternal deemed it right 
to enlighten us as to the wherefore of His acts, it is quite 
certain that the means would not have been wanting to 
fulfil that purpose. Were all made equally clear to our 
understanding, where would be the opportunity for the 
exercise of the duties of faith and trust, so incumbent on 
us in our relation to our heavenly Father? We know 
that — 

" The Lord looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all 
the sons of men" (Psalm xxxiii. 13). 

And believing, as we do, in His omniscience, and 
that " He trieth the reins and the heart," can we — dare 
we for a moment — question the justice of His every 
decision; setting aside, in this instance, the convincing 
proof afforded us in the after-history of the patriarch — 
of his worth as the favoured object of God's gracious 
blessing? From the earliest period of the creation, the 
Lord had revealed Himself to mankind, giving them 
certain clear and simple rules for their guidance; but, 
unhappily, there were but few disposed to observe and 



THE REVELATION OF THE LAW. 129 

follow tliem. Idolatry was the besetting sin of tlie dif- 
ferent nations; and so few were the exceptions to the 
general wickedness, up to the time of Abram, that it 
will be neither a long nor a difficult task to enumerate 
them. Firstly, we find that, in contradistinction to Cain, 
"the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering" — 
consequently, we may be sure that his conduct was 
acceptable : and that the worship of the Lord was ordered 
and known, is clearly proved by the record, that on the 
birth of Enos, the son of Seth, " then began men to call 
upon the name of the Lord." Enoch was the next 
individual distinguished for piety and virtue, for we 
find— 

" And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for 
God took him " (Gen. v. 24). 

Lastly, came Noah, who alone with all his family was 
saved from the waters of the deluge; whom the Lord 
deputed to preserve alive of every living thing of all 
flesh in the ark, and with whom He, on the cessation of 
the waters made a covenant not to destroy the earth any 
more by a flood, giving him the rainbow as a token. 

" But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 
Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation, and 
Noah walked with God " (Gen. vi. 8—10). 

We do not find any other instance of pre-eminent 
virtue mentioned up to the time of Abraham, conse- 
quently the fact of his selection must prove to us, 
although unacquainted with his previous history, that he 
was accounted " a faithful servant in the eyes of the 
Lord," and a worthy recipient of His favour. As the 
covenant through which we inherit such distinguished 
privileges was renewed several times to Abraham, and 
again to Isaac and Jacob, I should like you to name the 
occasions on which it was repeated to the former, as I 

K 



130 NINTH CONVERSATION. 

consider this point (the origin of our distinction as " a 
peculiar people, and the chosen of the Lord")^ one of 
the most important in our national history. 

Ruth. I think I can name five instances of God's 
promise and blessing having been given to Abraham; 
the first was on the occasion of his being commanded to 
leave his kindred and country, as we have already men- 
tioned ; it was repeated after he had separated from his 
nephew Lot in the land of Canaan. 

" And the Lord said unto Abraham, after that I^ot 
was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and 
look from the place where thou art northward, and 
southward, and eastward, and westward: for the whole 
country thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed 
for ever. And I will make thy seed numerous as the 
dust of the earth : so that if any can number the dust 
of the earthy then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, 
traverse the land, in the length and in the breadth 
thereof: for unto thee will I give it" (Gen.xiii. 14 — 18). 

Again, when Abram complained of the want of an 
heir, God not only promised him a son, but renewed His 
word that his seed should be "as the stars of heaven for 
multitude. 

" And he [Abram] believed in the Lord; and he 
counted it to him for righteousness" (Gen. xiv. 6). 

God afterwards shewed him in a vision that his 
descendants should for four hundred years serve, and be 
afilicted by a nation in a strange land: also, that at the 
expiration of that period, He would judge their oppres- 
sors, and they should then come out with great substance, 
returning in the fourth generation to the land of Canaan, 
which was promised them for an inheritance. 

Jacob. Why how strange ! this never struck me 
before; but it certainly is a complete prophecy, fore- 



THE KEVELATION OF THE LAW. 131 

shewing the bondage in Egypt, the Exodus^ and the 
after-settlement in the Promised Land. I am sure I 
have read the biography of the patriarchs often enough; 
but I do not remember ever perceiving the close connec- 
tion with our after-history so clearly as now. It no 
longer seems a mere relation of the past, to be studied 
as a matter of course; it seems rather to belong to us, to 
be a subject in which we must find ourselves more and 
more interested, from meeting at every step some fresh 
and unexpected links in the chain that unites the Jews 
of the present day with their forefathers. 

Aunt. I am very happy to hear you express yourself 
so warmly, my boy. Your eyes once opened to the truth, 
with every fresh page of information you acquire, you 
will become more awakened to the fact of our individu- 
ality as a nation; you will perceive unmistakeably that 
there is no break in the history of the Israelites; that 
to the modern Jew, every peculiar ceremony and ob- 
servance is calculated to recall the past, to prove how 
closely it is interwoven with our every hope for the 
future. From the bestowal of the first promise upon 
Abraham, up to the present hour, a fine, but imperish- 
able thread has run through the history of the ^' chosen- 
people," guided by the one unerring Source of wisdom 
and beneficence; and we humbly trust and rest in un- 
shaken faith, that such will still, and for ever continue 
to be the case, for the Lord hath said : — ■ 

" Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; 
I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Kedeemer, the 
Holy One of Israel " (Isa. xli. 14). 

But now to resume our subject; the next instance of 
the promise being renewed, was when God changed 
Abram^s name to Abraham, saying, " For the father of 
many nations have I made thee.''^ After which He 



132 NINTH CONVERSATION. 

instituted tlie distinguishing covenant, incumbent on all 
the males of Israel,* and then promised him a son by 
Sarah his wife, to be named Isaac. 

Jacob. The last mention of the renewal of the cove- 
nant with Abraham, was on the occasion of the great 
trial of his faith, when he was preparing to sacrifice his 
only and beloved son Isaac, in obedience to the com- 
mands of God. 

'* And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham 
out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself have 
I sworn, saith the Lord, for inasmuch as thou hast done 
this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only soni 
that 1 will greatly bless thee, and exceedingly multiply 
thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is 
on the sea-shore ; and thy seed shall possess the gate of 
his enemies; and all the nations of the earth shall bless 
themselves with thy seed; in reward that thou didst 
hearken to my voice " (Gen. xxii. 15 — 19). 

This promise was renewed once to Isaac and three 
times to Jacob, the last time on his preparing to go 
down into Egypt, at the invitation of his son Joseph. 

" And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the 
night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said. Here am 
I. And He said, I am God, the God of thy father: 
fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make 
of thee a great nation : I will go down with thee into 
Egypt; and I will surely bring thee up again; and 
Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes " (Gen. 
xlvi. 2—5). 

Aunt. This, you perceive, corresponds with the pro- 
phecy to Abraham, which was fulfilled in the Exodus; 
and now as I think we have succeeded in establishing a 
direct line of communication between the first patriarch 
* See Gen.xvii. 10— 15. 



THE REVELATION OF THE LAW. 133 

and our ancestors the cKildren of Israel, wLo on being 
redeemed from Egypt were led into the wilderness, and 
there received our holy Law, we will proceed to explain 
the eighth article of the Creed, " the Revelation of the 
Law." 

Ruth, We believe that the whole Law now in our 
possession, is the same that was delivered to our fore- 
fathers by Moses the prophet at Mount Sinai, by the 
command and at the dictation of God. 

Aunt. We thus find, that through the Divine Revela- 
tion, followed by the legislation of Moses at Sinai^ the 
Israelites accepted for themselves the laws of God's holy 
faith. 

" The Lord our God made with us a covenant on 
Horeb. Not with our forefathers made the Lord this 
covenant, but with ourselves_, who are here all alive this 
day" (Deut. V.2 — 4). For in preparation for the awful 
descent on Sinai, the Lord sent Moses to the children of 
Israel, saying: — 

*' Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and 
how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto 
myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice 
indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a 
peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the 
earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of 
priests, and a holy nation " (Ex. xix. 4 — 7). 

Ruth. Did the people accept the covenant in words^ 
for I do not quite remember? 

Aunt. Certainly, my love; for after Moses had assem- 
bled the elders of the nation, and repeated to them the 
message with which he had been entrusted: — *' All 
the people answered together, and said. All that the 
Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the 
words of the people unto the Lord ^' (Ex. xix. 8). 



134 NINTH CONVERSATION. 

Thus, you perceive, that our forefathers bound them- 
selves without any reservation to keep the covenant of 
the Lord. Did they do so? Unfortunately, the after- 
history of the Jews portrays too faithfully, even up to 
the present day, how often and fearfully it has been 
infringed; and I fear much that we the descendants of 
that highly-favoured people the recipients of the Law, 
are far from realising how strictly the same obligation 
and responsibility devolve on us, equally as though we 
had ourselves witnessed the glory of the Lord. 

" For what nation is there so great, who hath God so 
nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that 
we call upon Him for ? And where is a nation so great, 
which hath such just and righteous statutes as all this 
law is which I place before you this day?" (Deut. iv. 
7—9). 

Jacob. Do you not consider the delivery of the Ten 
Commandments the holiest and greatest of all revelations, 
because on that one occasion alone, God revealed Himself 
to the whole assembled multitude, and caused His voice 
to be heard out of the midst of the fire? 

Aunt. Decidedly; we regard the Ten Command- 
ments as comprising in themselves the foundation of 
our laws, the essence of our religion; and the very 
solemnity that attended their delivery shews clearly the 
important light in which it was intended they should be 
estimated. For three days previous to the awful descent 
on Mount Sinai were the people sanctified by the 
express commands of God; bounds were set around the 
mount, and the penalty of death was threatened to who- 
soever or whatsoever even touched the border of it — 
whether man or beast. 

'* And Mount Sinai was altogether in a smoke, because 
the Lord descended upon it in fire : and the smoke 



THE REVELATION OF THE LAW. 135 

thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the 
whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of 
the trumpet sounded long and waxed louder and louder, 
Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice" (Exod. 
xix. 18—20). 

We will not, I think, rehearse the Commandments at 
present, as they must by no means be dismissed with a 
transitory notice; the perfect appreciation and compre- 
hension of the several duties they inculcate, is of such 
vital importance to our well-doing and eternal welfare, 
that too much study and attention can scarcely be 
bestowed on them ; and I shall therefore propose our 
devoting an entire evening to their consideration, after 
we have concluded our discussion of the Creed. 

Ruth. Are not the other laws which were given at 
the same time, regarded as almost equally important? 

Aunt. Yes, as emanating from the same Divine 
Source ; but there is this difference : the Ten Command- 
ments are held peculiarly sacred, from the fact of their 
having been spoken by God Himself, and afterwards 
written by Him on the two tables of stone, which were 
therefore set apart as most holy, and kept in the ark of 
the covenant. 

" There was nothing in the ark but the tw^o tables of 
stone which Moses had put there at Horeb, when the 
Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when 
they went out of the land of Egypt" (1 Kings viii. 9). 

Therefore you will observe, that in token of reverence, 
on every occasion of the rehearsal of the Decalogue in 
synagogue, the whole congregation rise, and remain 
standing during the time of repetition. The other 
laws and statutes were likewise delivered to the Israelites 
at Sinai, but through Moses, who having received them 



136 NINTH CONVERSATION. 

from tKe Lord, had written them down at His com- 
mand. 

Jacob. Were all the laws written down ? I have 
heard something about the oral law, but do not under- 
stand what it means; and was it equally given by God 
to Moses with the others? 

Aunt. You have asked me a question, my dear boy, 
that has been made the subject of much discussion — and, 
according to my ideas, most unnecessarily so; however, 
I will endeavour to satisfy you in as clear and concise 
a manner as possible, that no confusion may arise in 
your mind on this important point. There is not a 
shadow of doubt, but that we have full and sufficient 
evidence for believing, that the whole law now in our 
possession, both scriptural and oral^ was communicated 
to Moses by the mouth of God on Mount Sinai. The 
written law comprises the five books of the Pentateuch; 
the oral law consists of the particular explanations of the 
written law, and prescribes the manner in which the 
several precepts and ordinances of our faith are to be 
observed. Moses was commanded to transmit this orally 
to a few chosen pious men among the elders of Israel, 
whose office it then was to instruct the people in their 
religious duties. Under this form of verbal communica- 
tion, it was intended to descend from generation to 
generation. 

Jacob. But this law is no longer taught only by 
word of mouth. Aunt; for I have heard of different 
works containing the oral law: will you tell me their 
titles, and why it was committed to writing? 

Aunt. In consequence of the severe persecution to 
which our nation had been subjected, from the period 
of our first dispersion, the teachers of the law continually 



THE REVELATION OF THE LAW. 137 

decreased in numbers, so that it was in danger of being, 
in the end, not only neglected, but forgotten. To 
obviate tbis evil, in the year of tbe world 3980, Rabbi 
Judah Hanassj, surnamed tbe Holy, with other learned 
and pious men of his day, determined on writing down 
the precious tradition in short sentences, which they 
succeeded in doing ; and this collection is called the 
" Mishna," or repetition of the law. Not being found 
sufficiently explicit, it was after the lapse of two hun- 
dred years, enlarged and revised, under the title of the 
*' Gemara,^^ or "Talmud." There is also the "Yad 
Hachazakah," by the celebrated Rabbi Moses Maimoni- 
des, written in the year of the world 4936 ; and the 
" Shulcan Ngaruch,'' edited by Don Joseph Caro, in 
3525. These are, I believe, the principal works con- 
taining the oral law."^ 

Jacob. But, Aunt, do these books only contain the 
oral law exactly as it was given to Moses; or have the 
Rabbins added to it themselves? I have heard it said, 
that they had done so, and that it is not obligatory on 
us to observe all the rules and restrictions, which are 
unnecessarily severe. 

Aunt. I am very glad you have so candidly mentioned 
the remarks you have overheard, as I trust the explana- 
tion 1 shall be enabled to give, will prevent your putting 
a false construction on their value. But to avoid the 
slightest misconception, I will in the first place reply to 
your question, by informing you that the works I have 
named do most certainly contain other matter besides the 
original tradition ; they contain the arguments and 
opinions of certain learned men, on the practice of the 



* See " Instruction in the Mosaic Eeligion." Translated from 
the German of J. Johlson, by Isaac Leeser. 



138 NINTH CONVERSATION. 

different minutias of the law, to the study of which they 
had devoted their lives^ and had thereby an opportunity 
of introducing such wise and useful regulations, to en- 
sure the strict observance of our religion, as the emer- 
gency of the times and the preservation of our Holy 
Faith required. That these Eabbins or wise men, were 
fully borne out in so doing, and were authorised to ex- 
pound the law, is easily proved from scripture, for our 
legislator tells us : — 

*^ According to the law which they (the Elders) will 
teach thee, and according to the judgment which they 
may tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not depart from 
whatever they may tell thee, either to the right or to the 
left" (Deut. xvii. 11). 

Now regarding the unnecessary restrictions ; rather 
a bold and sweeping condemnation, I should say, con- 
sidering how few are qualified to form an efficient judg- 
ment, unbiassed by personal prejudice; however, we, in 
our search after truth, have only to confine ourselves to 
plain logical facts ; to keep the main point in view, with- 
out turning to the right or to the left — thus, I would 
first ask you, do we Israelites believe in the laws of the 
Pentateuch ? 

Ruth. Why, of course. Aunt; and that it is incum- 
bent on us to obey them in every particular. 

Aunt. Such being the case, how are we to understand 
this verse? — 

*' And thou shalt kill from thy cattle, and thy 
sheep, in the manner I have commanded thee " (Deut. 
xii. 4). 

As there are no rules laid down in the Pentateuch 
which prescribe the mode of killing, and you are aware 
that the prohibition against blood is imperative, and 
constantly repeated throughout the Bible, how are we to 



THE REVELATION OF THE LAW. 139 

shew our obedience even in this one, out of the many 
instances? where are we to seek for information, if we 
reject the guidance of the oral law, which instructs us in 
the most minute details of all our ceremonies and ob- 
servances? True, some of them are specially particular- 
ised in the written law, while again others are merely 
mentioned in a general manner; but we are repeatedly 
enjoined by our legislator, Moses, to perform all the 
words of the law. 

" Every commandment you must strictly observe, 
just as I command it you this day, thou shalt not add 
unto it, neither shalt thou diminish from it" (Deut. 
xiii. 1). 

Now how are we to do this, if we wilfully cast aside 
the assistance that has been provided for our need — if 
we refuse to receive the friendly pilot sent to steer us 
through the quicksands of ignorance and indifference? 
But there can be no temporizings no half measures — 
either we accept the oral law, or we reject it; if we avail 
ourselves of it in one case, we directly acknowledge its 
authority, and are therefore bound to do so in all, or we 
immediately lay ourselves open to the charge of incon- 
sistency, which is rather an undignified failing; and yet 
I question if the very individuals, who, with a sincere 
and ardent love of their religion, but mistaken views, 
have professed to cast off the restraints imposed by the 
oral law — I question much, if those same persons, on 
candidly reviewing the ceremonies they still observe, 
would not be obliged to confess themselves still acting 
under its guidance. They must feel that they have only 
partially cast off the yoke, that they cannot free them- 
selves entirely, without disregarding points which they 
hold as sacred as their more observant brethren. Why 
their daily practice proves this; setting aside forbidden 



140 NINTH CONYERSATION. .j^K 

food, wKicli of course thej would not touch, how do you 
account for their meat, etc., being provided only by 
Jewish butchers, but that they will not eat it killed 
otherwise than according to our laws? 

Jacob. I think the only answer is, that the oral law 
is the key to the written law ; but still, has not the com- 
mand you quoted just now been transgressed in the extra 
rules laid down by the Eabbins? We are told, " thou 
shalt not add unto, nor diminish therefrom." 

Aunt. I certainly must give you credit for remem- 
bering more of such a serious conversation, than I should 
have thought would have interested you. You have, as 
proxy for others, advanced a very startling accusation, 
but is it quite so easy to substantiate? I am not aware 
that any new commandments or laws have been made by 
the Rabbins; they have but established certain rules 
which they found necessary for the better observance of 
those commands already promulgated ; and it strikes me 
also, on consideration, that your statement is rather 
partial; indeed, I have generally remarked that those 
who object to the unnecessary restrictions, though they 
certainly quote the whole command in support of their 
opinions, invariably add the latter part as a kind of 
counterpoise ; that is to say, I never yet remember hear- 
ing the Rabbins accused of diminishing the law; and 
yet where it is so much easier to leave undone than to 
do, it is rather strange that the same spirit of innovation 
should not have acted equally in both cases. No, my 
dear children, do not deceive yourselves, nor allow others 
to mislead you by shallow reasoning and vain sophistry; 
listen to no arguments, however enticing to your in- 
clinations, that would lead you to disregard any one 
precept of the law; and that you must inevitably do so 
is quite certain, if you refuse to be guided by competent 



THE REVELATION OF THE LAW, 141 

authority. The restrictions complained of, are the ne- 
cessary fences to our religion, the barriers between us 
and the Gentiles; and such being the case, they must 
under no circumstances be broken through. We finite 
mortals have not the power of saying, thus far we will go 
and no further : one false step leads to another ; therefore 
if we permit the first gap in the fence to remain un- 
noticed, others will speedily follow, until the mischief 
become irreparable. We Israelites should always bear 
in mind the One great duty appointed us : the preserva- 
tion of our holy faith in its immaculate purity, should 
be our aim and object; and to attain this desired end we 
must strain every nerve, we must shrink at no sacrifice; 
for are we not commanded to keep ourselves a peculiar 
and distinct people, holy to the Lord? Can we place a 
few worldly pleasures, dignities, or even intimate com- 
panionships which would be incompatible with the re- 
quirements of our law, in the scale against the gracious 
promises of redemption from our present captivity, the 
never ending blessings held out to us, " when we shall 
have returned to the Lord our God with all our heart 
and with all our soul " ? Surely not ; we cannot be so 
insensible to our transcendant privileges ; let us then 
endeavour to mark our appreciation of them by a steady, 
and, as far as lies in our power, a faithful adherence 
to:— 

*' The law which Moses commanded us (as) an in- 
heritance of the congregation of Jacob" (Deuteronomy 
xxxiii. 4). 

And now that I hope we are thoroughly convinced of 
the authenticity of the whole law, both scriptural and 
oral, we will proceed to notice the ninth article of the 
creed, " The Permanency of the Law," in conclusion to 
the one we have just discussed. 



142 NINTH CONVERSATION. 

Ruth, We believe that the law delivered to our an- 
cestors at Mount Sinai, is perfect and immutable; that as 
it has descended to us, so it will descend from generation 
to generation, and that in no one respect will it ever be 
changed or altered. 

Aunt. Convinced as we Israelites are, that the Divine 
Eevelation so peculiarly vouchsafed to our nation, is the 
emanation of Infinite Wisdom, we cannot feel a shadow 
of doubt as to its being complete and perfect in itself, 
and adapted to every contingency; consequently the 
most trivial change or deviation is inadmissible, and the 
scriptures furnish us with repeated proofs that it was in- 
tended by the Lord to remain " an everlasting statute in 
Israel/' We are told it is '* an inheritance of the con- 
gregation of Jacob"; which alone would establish its 
permanency; for we find: — 

*' If those ordinances [the sun, moon, and stars] depart 
from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel 
also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever " 
(Isaiah xxxi. 36). 

Let us then earnestly strive to understand and perform 
all the words of our holy law, which, perfect and un- 
changeable as it is, offers the same imperishable advan- 
tages to all: rich and poor, learned and ignorant, may 
alike walk under its guiding influence, may in holy 
brotherhood, "slake their thirst at the same blessed 
fountain of living waters.''^ Let us, in acknowledging 
the precious gift of our perfect and unchangeable revela- 
tion, also bear in mind that — 

" The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; 
the testimony of the Lord is faithful, making wise the 
simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing 
the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, en- 
lightening the eyes '' (Ps. xix. 7 — 9). 



THE PERMANENCY OF THE LAW. 143 

And may: " The Lord our God be with us, as He was 
with our fathers : may he not leave nor forsake us. That 
He may incline our hearts unto Him, to walk in His 
ways, to keep His commandments and His statutes, and 
His judgments, which He commanded our fathers'^ 
(1 Kings viii. 57 — 59). 



TENTH CONVEESATION. 

THE OMNISCIENCE OF THE LORD. — REWARDS AND 
PUNISHMENTS. 

Aunt. The tentK article of the creed^ " tlie Omni- 
science and all-directing power of God," is our next 
subject of discussion, and one to which we must give 
particular attention, as it embraces points of much in- 
terest. 

Ruth. I suppose we are to give a short definition, as 
usual. We believe that our blessed Creator is Omni- 
scient, that He knoweth all the secrets of mankind, and 
vieweth the end of a thing at its commencement, for — 

" He fashioneth all their hearts, and understandeth all 
their works " (Ps. xxxiii. 15). 

Jacob. I do not exactly understand this. Aunt; it 
seems, by this explanation, that if the Eternal foresee 
the end of a thing, it is predetermined, so that we have 
not the power of acting differently; we have in fact no 
free-will in the matter, which is, I suppose, what people 
call fate. 

Aunt. I felt sure you would make some remark of 
this kind — as to those who look no deeper than the sur- 
face it is a very common mistake, and at the same time 
a most erroneous and dangerous impression, which, how- 
ever, a -moderate degree of reason and common sense will 
speedily remove. In order to effect this, we must in the 



THE OMNISCIENCE OF THE LORD. 145 

first instance, establish a perfect belief in our minds as 
to the almighty power of the Eternal, with which I trust 
you are already thoroughly impressed; the next point 
"we have then to consider, is the signification of His 
attributes, Omniscience and Omnipresence, which are in- 
dissolubly united for the exercise of His infinite wisdom 
and justice. We are told that God is Omniscient; He 
knows every action, thought, and feeling of man, every 
event that has happened, or that will happen ; for — 

*' The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but 
the revealed things belong unto us and to our posterity 
for ever, to perform all the words of the law " (Deut. 
xxix. 29). 

'* Lord, Thou hast searched, and knowest me. Thou 
knowest my downsitting and my uprising, Thou under- 
standest my thoughts afar off. Thou compassest my 
path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my 
ways. Before yet a word was upon my tongue. Thou, 
Lord, didst know all " (Ps. cxxxix. 1 — 4). 

God is Omnipresent I the whole world is full of His 
glory; there is no spot in heaven or earth where God is 
not, there is nothing concealed from His knowledge; we 
may indeed exclaim ; — 

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? and whither 
shall I flee from thy face? If I ascend to heaven. Thou 
art there; and if I should lie down in the deep, I should 
find Thee; should I fly on the wings of the morning 
down to dwell at the farthest end of the sea, even there 
Thy hand would lead me, and Thy right hand would 
seize me" {Ibid.1--\Q), 

With this impressive picture before us, can we fail to 
realise to ourselves the Omniscience and Omnipresence of 
the Lord? Can we entertain a doubt but that our every 
impulse and motive is laid bare to His discerning eye? 

L 



146 TENTH CONVERSATION. 

and witli such a perception of these. His wonderful 
attributes, does it require any great stretch of faith to 
recognise His prescience also — to believe that He, our 
Creator and Former, can foresee and trace every event of 
our lives, from its birth as a mere thought in our minds 
until its fruition? It needs not for this that our free- 
will should be circumscribed, that our actions should be 
predetermined ; surely we can ascribe this all-seeing 
power to the Eternal without any contingent limitation ! 

*' Understand, ye brutish among the people ! and ye 
fools, when will ye be wise? Shall He who planted the 
ear not hear? Shall He who formed the eye not see? 
Shall He who chastiseth the nations not reprove? He 
who teacheth man knowledge ! The Lord knoweth that 
that the imaginations of man are but vanity " (Psalm 
xciv. 8— 12). 

"We have already discussed the point of mankind 
having been endowed with reason, thus marking our pre- 
eminence to the brute creation; and I would now ask 
you to what purpose this precious gift is to be applied? 

Ruth. It is intended to guide our conduct, to regulate 
our inclinations, to restrain us from wicked actions; in 
fact to enable us to form a correct judgment, and to 
choose between right and wrong. 

Aunt. I perceive with pleasure that you have not lost 
the impression of our former conversation, for you have 
left me nothing to add to your definition; but now sup- 
posing that what people call fate did in effect rule the 
world, and that every action of our lives were unalter- 
ably fixed and predetermined, will you tell me where 
would then be the opportunity for the exercise of our 
reason? It would in that case be waste of purpose and 
mere folly to try to practise virtue, because from one 
moment to another we might be compelled by fate to 



THE OMNISCIENCE OF THE LORD. 147 

commit the most revolting crimes, we should be helpless 
puppets pulled by unseen wires. No, my dear children, 
let us not take a mistaken view of our position and 
responsibilities. Our merciful Father has not placed us 
so high in the scale of creation for nought ; — He has not 
endowed us with such resplendent advantages, to make 
them of none avail: — we are gifted with free-will, we 
have the power within ourselves of accepting the good, 
and rejecting the evil; we dare not doubt it, for the 
word of the Lord hath spoken it; to Cain was it said, 
on the refusal of his offering, — 

" And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? 
and why is thy countenance downcast? If thou doest 
well, canst thou not lift it w/>? But if thou doest not well, 
sin coucheth at the door. Though unto thee be its desire, 

THOU SHOULDST RULE OVER IT ^^ (Gen. iv. 6 — 8). 

Does not this shew us clearly that we have the power 
of choice in our own actions? Would the Lord have 
told Cain "he should rule over sin," if He had not 
given him the power to do so? And again, our legis- 
lator says : — 

" Behold, I lay before thee this day, life and the 
good; death and the evil " (Deut. xxx. 15 J. 

We have here, I think, all-sufficient evidence to prove 
that the power of choice has been given to us; that we 
have been invested with free will, and that we are 
accountable to the Great Giver for the manner in which 
it is exercised^ is a truth that we should keep constantly ^ 
before our eyes. Knowing as we do, that the inmost 
recesses of our heart are displayed to His view, we 
should endeavour at all times to realise His presence ; we 
should critically scan the most secret motives of our 
every action; for plain, unvarnished truth alone will 



148 TENTH CONVEKSATION. 

avail us on higli; we dare not salve over our errors by 
excuses, however plausible and likely to satisfy human 
judgment, for we know that '* He trieth the reins and 
the heart;" and we should, therefore, at once be con- 
demned, through our own voluntary disregard of the 
Almighty presence, in which we stand day and night. 
We should feel and say like King David: — " I always 
place the Eternal as present before me " (Psa. xvi. 8), 
for if in all our actions we remember that God sees ws, 
we shall fear to excite His anger; whereas, if we endea- 
vour to see Him in all His actions, our love and re- 
verence will be aroused. But the everlasting mercy of 
God has not left us even here without assistance; He 
has placed a faithful monitor within our breast, to warn 
us against the snares of sin; He has given us a con- 
science as our most valuable friend. 

Jacob. The consciousness of having acted well is 
very delightful, a feeling of happiness and contentment 
seems to glow like sunshine within us; we feel light 
and cheerful, everything looks bright, and our most 
irksome duties become easier to fulfil. 

Aunt. I am very happy to find you so prepared to 
appreciate the value of a good conscience, and trust you 
will therefore, endeavour scrupulously to attend to its 
faintest whispers, for the contrast to your description is 
very painful. Gloom, anxiety, and restless discontent, 
are the inevitable attendants of a bad conscience. 

'* The wicked are like the agitated sea, which cannot 
rest; There is no peace for the wicked, saith my God" 
(Isa. Ivii. 20). 

Therefore should we unceasingly strive to testify our 
grateful appreciation of the blessing of free will so 
undoubtedly bestowed on us, by ever exercising it in our 



THE OMNISCIENCE OF THE LORD. 149 

clioice of tlie good over tKe evil — in our selection of the 
genuine straightforward road to virtue, rather than the 
alluring and tortuous side-paths of vice. 

'* There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath no- 
thing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath 
great riches " (Prov. xiii. 7). 

Ruth, How beautiful that verse is. Aunt ! Are not 
virtue and vice both understood here? In the former 
case, virtue will make us rich in the blessing of the 
Lord, even though we possess no earthly wealth; and in 
the latter, without His countenance we must still be 
poor, even though rolling in riches. 

Aunt. You have given an excellent interpretation, 
my love, and I trust you will retain the impression of 
it. Before we conclude this subject, I must tell you, 
that although God has imparted to man freedom of will, 
without which there would be neither virtue nor vice, 
we believe that He has appointed to every action certain 
consequences, which we in our ignorance ascribe to 
chance, whereas they are but the effect of the pre-con- 
ceived designs of Providence. 

" ^ The steps of man are ordered by the Lord; and 
he willeth his way* (Psa. xxxvii. 22), which means the 
Lord directs events in such a manner, that man of his 
own free will takes that particular way which leads to 
where the Divine decree awaits him, whether for good 
or evil."^ 

How frequently have we seen events turn out totally 
different to what we, with our finite knowledge, had 
calculated ! How often have we had occasion to bless God 
for having permitted that to happen, which perhaps had 
at first overwhelmed us with grief as an irremediable 

* See " Translation of the Sacred Scriptures," by the Rev. 
D. A. De Sola, page 309, note a. 



150 TENTH CONVERSATION. 

misfortune ! this comes home to us all, both in the daily 
occurrences of life, as in the bereavements of the domes- 
tic hearth. Thus also said Joseph to his brethren : — - 

*' Though you intended to do me evil, yet did God 
direct it to good " (Gen. 1. 20). 

"VYe know that he was made the instrument " of pre- 
serving numerous people " during the famine, and at 
the same time, the settlement of his father and brethren 
in Egypt, was the first step towards the bondage, and 
after deliverance foretold to Abraham. It is this glorious 
manifestation of God's all-directing power, which is 
sometimes misconstrued and termed '* chance;" but let 
events turn out ever so unexpectedly to us, " they are 
but the necessary consequences of a previous design of 
the Holy One of Israel, blessed be He." We have but 
to recognise His wonderful attributes of Omniscience and 
Omnipresence, when the sense of the Divine super- 
intendance of the universe must at once impress our 
minds with love and awe. 

'* The Eternal is good to all, and His mercies are over 
all His works " (Psa. cxlv. 9). 

We should endeavour to mark our sense of our 
Heavenly Father's watchful guardianship, by submitting 
cheerfully to His Divine will, by accepting in unmur- 
muring submission the dispensations He has appointed 
us; we know that all is arranged to work for good, 
therefore, although we may not' be able to discern the 
secret purpose of our affliction, it is still our duty to 
bow our heads in reverence to His decree, and to say: — 

'* He is the Eternal; that which seemeth best to Him 
He will do " (1 Sam. iii. 18). His every judgment is in 
mercy : — 

" For whom the Lord loveth He correcteth, even as 
a father the son in whom he dellghteth " (Fro v. iii. 12). 



THE OMNISCIENCE OF THE LORD. 151 

*' He is the Rock, His deeds are perfect; for all His 
ways are just. He is the God of truth, and without evil. 
He is just and righteous " (Deut. xxxii. 4). 

And now we will, I think, define the next article of 
the Creed, '^ Rewards and Punishments,'^ as we cannot 
proceed further without touching on its peculiar matter. 

Jacob. *' We believe that our blessed Creator will re- 
ward all those who keep His commandments, and punish 
those who transgress them; thus rendering to every man 
according to his deeds/' 

Now, my dear Aunt, I have often puzzled over this, 
and wish you would shew us how we are to imderstand 
it; does it refer to this world, or to the life after death, 
which I believe is called Immortality? 

Aunt. Although a deep and fervent belief in a future 
state of existence is the anchor of hope that should buoy 
us up through the storms and trials of this world, I 
fear it will be no easy task to simplify this important 
subject to your- comprehension; for there are some 
things instinctively felt, which can scarcely be rendered 
clearly in words; still I will do my utmost to enable 
you to attain this greatest of all blessings — the conviction 
of our immortal nature — the most powerful incentive to 
good — the weightiest dissuasive against evil. But to 
commence at the root of the tree; how do you regard 
a future life as connected with the body ? 

Ruth. We do not entertain the idea of its having 
any reference to the body. You told us in a former 
conversation, that God had implanted a living spirit 
within us, through which we are enabled to recognise 
Him (the greatest of all Spirits), to think, to act, and 
to feel; and to this we have given the appellation of 
Soul. 

Aunt. Very well: we therefore believe, that when it 



152 TENTH CONVERSATION. 

pleases God to witlidraw the breath from our body, and 
to cause us to cease to exist in this world, which state of 
annihilation we call Death; — we believe firmly that our 
body alone will be destroyed by corruption, and that 
our spirit or soul will return to its Maker. 

" And the dust will return unto the earth whence it 
came, and the spirit will return unto God who gave it " 
(Eccl.xii. 7). 

Death has been the inevitable lot of mankind from 
that of our first parents, Adam and Eve; its dart is 
certain to pierce us either sooner or later; the strong 
man and lisping infant are alike compelled to yield to its 
grasp, which is unavoidable, though it sends not always 
a herald before to warn us of its approach. It is true 
that sickness in most cases tells us to prepare for our 
departure; still how frequently does Death, the destroyer 
of our earthly form, seize suddenly on its unconscious 
victims ! One moment we are exulting in our boasted 
strength, and the next stricken to the dust. Should not 
then, this uncertainty as to the when and where of our 
decease, teach us so to order our lives, as to be ever 
ready for our summons? How know we when we lie 
down to rest, that the morning sun will greet our eyes? 
or when we arise from our beds, that we shall ever again 
be permitted to close them in mortal sleep? Death, or 
the dissolution of the body in this world, is a self- 
evident fact that none, not even the most sceptical, can 
pretend to doubt; it rests not on tradition or theory, it 
is a daily recurring event, enforcing our credence by 
striking us through our warmest affections and feelings. 
A second witnesses the transition from animated being 
to senseless clay; wealth, knowledge, dignity, all are 
equally powerless in arresting our doom. Vain, then, 
and indeed sinful, are all our strivings after riches and 



THE OMNISCIENCE OF THE LORD. 153 

worldly honours, if allowed to interfere witK the ob- 
servance of our religion, if in our untiring pursuit of 
transitory enjoyments we neglect the laws and command- 
ments of our God. Of what avail will countless wealth 
be to us in the day we are summoned to appear before 
our Heavenly Father and Judge? 

" Of those who trust in their wealth, and boast them- 
selves in the immensity of their riches? The brother 
will not release his own brother, but refuses his ransom to 
the judges: nay, he would even abstain from redeeming 
himself, should it cost him much ! As if he were to live 
for ever, and never to see the grave ! But does he not 
observe that wise men die; that the fool and the brutish 
person perish together and must leave their power to 
others? Their inward thought is indeed that their 
palaces shall continue for ever, and their dwelling to all 
generations; and that their name shall equally endure in 
the land. But man's enjoyment of honour endureth 
not: he is like the beasts that perish. Such is their way, 
fools to themselves ! and yet their posterity even applauds 
them ! Like sheep in droves are they laid in the grave " 
(Ps. xlix. 6—14). 

Now can we, my dear children, think that this is in- 
deed the end of our being? Have we been created with 
the power, through our soul, of cherishing fine and noble 
aspirations, only to perish eternally like the beasts of the 
field? Surely not; but having convinced ourselves of 
the inevitable circumstance of death to this world, we 
will now turn to the bright side of the picture, to the 
dazzling view of heaven that is held out to us in the 
prospect of a future life. 

Jacob. I know now to what you allude; we believe 
that on the dissolution of the body our spirit will return 
to the Lord, who will judge us according to our good or 



154 TENTH CONVERSATION. 

evil deeds in this world, rewarding us with happiness 
and everlasting life in heaven, or punishing us after the 
dictates of His wisdom and justice. But now, Aunt, I 
would ask you what part of the law explains this doc- 
trine, because 1 do not remember meeting with any spe- 
cial command to believe in it? 

Aunt. You are so far right, that we certainly do not 
find the words, '* thou shalt believe in a future state," 
directly expressed; but 1 will soon prove to you that the 
Scriptures abound with texts, which cannot by any possi- 
bility be taken in any other sense, than as references to 
a hereafter', and that it was not more specially mentioned 
in the divine revelation, is undeniable evidence that it 
was deemed unnecessary; for we cannot for a moment 
imagine that the inculcation of so important a point of 
our belief would have been left to the direction of chance. 
The instinct of immortality was inherent in mankind 
from the creation, there was therefore no need to teach 
what was a part of man's nature : for however much our 
forefathers had wandered from the service of God in 
their communion with the Egyptians and other nations. 
He in His omniscience knew that the vital spark was 
still alive in their breasts, though perhaps unknown and 
unacknowledged to themselves, and that the first effects 
of revelation would be to open their eyes to the precious 
aspirations they had hitherto unc<msciously nurtured. 
As a proof that the immortality of the soul was known 
and acknowledged in the earlier ages, I should like you 
to pay attention to the following verse, which the Lord 
addressed to Abram in a vision, after shewing him the 
troubles that would befall his descendants in Egypt. 

*' But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt 
be buried in a good old age " (Gen.xv. 15). 

Jacob. That is not very clear to me ; I only under- 



REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 155 

stand it that he would escape the afflictions predicted. 
I do not see that it indicates a future state. 

Aunt. Well then^ I do not think I can do better than 
read you part of a very interesting note to the above 
verse, by the Rev. D. A. De Sola,* as it will explain to 
to you far more clearly than I should succeed in doing. 

" That our text evidently alludes to a future state, and 
that the blessings and rewards therein promised to 
Abram are not limited to those of a temporal nature, 
appear from the phrase here used : Thou shalt go to thy 
fathers^ etc., which necessarily presupposes the fact of a 
continuance of existence ajter death, in respect both to 
Abram and his ancestors. We cannot imagine that it 
was intended to express that Abram should be buried 
with, or near his ancestors; firstly, because^ as we 
know, the body after the separation of the spirit which 
gave it life, becomes a mass of clay, and * returns to the 
dust from whence it was taken;' therefore if this world 
were the end of our being, what great reward would 
it have been to Abram to have been told that he should 
die near his ancestors, in Mesopotamia or elsewhere? 
Secondly, we know that Abram was not buried near his 
ancestors, but far away from them, in the land of Canaan, 
the land of his inheritance. And indeed he was so 
little desirous of being buried near them, that he took 
especial care to avoid it, by purchasing a burial-place for 
his wife and himself at Chebron. Neither can we sup- 
pose that the Almighty here only intended to inform 
Abram that he should die in peace, and that the troubles 
predicted should not take place in his days; for then, 
'Thou shalt die in peace' would have been more explicit 
than ' Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace^ etc. But 

* See " Translation of the Sacred Scriptures," by the Rev. D. 
A. De Sola, page 75, note (15). 



156 TENTH CONVERSATION. 

the Scriptures take especial care to distinguish and to 
separate the mention of the * burial in a good old age/ 
from the additional assurance that he should ' go to his 
ancestors in peace ' ; which proves that the continuance 
of existence in happiness after death, was here promised 
to Abram as a reward for his virtue and faith. There- 
fore we cannot doubt but that the doctrine of immor- 
tality, or the belief in a future life, was well known and 
acknowledged in the time of Abram, and before him." 

Jacob. That seems very clear now ; and I suppose by 
" his fathers,^^ are meant his pious ancestors, such as 
Abel, Enoch, Seth, Noah, etc.? 

Aunt. Exactly; we know that they were all distin- 
guished for piety and virtue. But I should like to com- 
bine the conclusions of your reason with the evidence 
we again shall presently adduce from Scripture; there- 
fore, as a preliminary measure, let us suppose this world 
to be the end of our being (which God in His mercy 
forbid !) — let us imagine that we are destined to know 
no other happiness than such as is attainable here below 
—that with our death all will cease. This is the case 
we are to keep in view. Now with our belief in the 
perfect justice of the Almighty, if indeed there were no 
Hereafter y how would you understand the frequent in- 
stances we see around us of the prosperity of the wicked, 
even to the last hour of their existence, while the 
righteous are frequently weighed down with affliction 
and misery? Can you reconcile this seemingly partial 
distribution of happiness, with our preconceived ideas of 
Divine perfection? 

Ruth. No; for ''the Lord is righteous evermore." 
And I can now clearly see, that the only solution to the 
mystery is the existence of a future state, to which we 
shall be translated after our eyes are closed to this 
world. 



REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 157 

Aunt. Exactly so; the righteous have only to "rest 
in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;" for we are 
exhorted : — 

" Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your 
heart, all ye that hope in the Lord " (Ps. xxxi. 24). 

Suppose we now select a few verses from the Bible, in 
evidence of the doctrine of immortality; and I think 
we cannot do better than conclude Psalm xlix., from 
which we have already quoted in exemplification of the 
vanity of riches. 

"Like sheep in droves are they laid in the grave; 
death drives them on, but the upright shall have dominion 
over them on That morning;* for the grave cannot 
retain for ever the essence that survives it. May the 
Lord but redeem my soul from the power of eternal 
corruption, when He shall take me, Selah ! Be then not 
dismayed when a man is made rich; when the glory of 
his house is increased. For when he dieth, he shall 
carry nothing away, nor can his glory follow him. And 
though he doth here delight his soul, thou wilt be called 
happy hereafter ; while he follows the generation of his 
fathers, which shall never know the glorious light. Man 
not knowing the importance of his being, becometh like 
the beasts that perish " (ver. 14, to the end).t 

Jacob. The distinction in the lot of the good and 
wicked is here clearly shewn. How much rather should 
we strive to earn the right of being " happy hereafter ^^* 
than to " delight our soul herer But have you any more 
examples? 

Aunt. Far more than I can quote at present; the Scrip- 
tures are replete with references to our future existence. 

* Of the resurrection. 

t The translation of this psalm is rendered from the " Daily 
Prayers," by the Rev. A. De Sola. 



15 8 TENTH CONYERSATION. 

" Who is the man that feareth. the Lord, him shall He 
te ach in the way He shall choose ; his soul shall abide in 
bliss, and his seed shall inherit the earth" (Psalm 
XXV. 12--14). 

" How precious is Thy mercy, God, and the child- 
ren of men shall be protected under the shadow of Thy 
wings; they shall be satisfied with the fatness of Thy 
house, and Thou shalt give them drink from the stream 
of Thy delights. For with Thee is the fountain of life, 
and in Thy light we shall see light " (Ps. xxxvi. 7 — 10). 

" When the wicked man dies, hope is lost, and the 
expectation of his exertions is lost " (Pro v. xi. 7). 

" Let thy heart not envy the sinner, but abide in the 
fear of the Lord the whole day; for surely there is a 
hereafter, and thy hope shall not be cut off" (Ibid. 
xxiii.l7— 19). 

The last verse in our beautiful Friday night Psalm 
will, I think, be a very good conclusion to this evening's 
discussion, as now that we have I trust, thoroughly 
established our conviction of a future existence, we shall 
next week have some further conversation on the distri- 
bution of rewards and punishments. 

" Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the 
days of my life, and then shall I rest for ever in God's 
eternal abode" (Ps. xxiii. 6). 



ELEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS.— THE ADVENT OF 
THE MESSIAH. 

Jacob. As we are to resume the subject of Rewards 
and Punisliments this evening, will you in the first place 
inform us, dear Aunt, if there is any direct knowledge 
imparted of the state of the soul after death, or of the 
nature of the retribution that awaits it? 

Aunt. No, there is no revelation to that effect, and 
as mortals we cannot form any clear conception of it. 

"God alone, and no eye of man, can see that felicity, 
which the Lord has prepared for those who place their 
trust in him " (Isaiah Ixiv. 4). 

But from our observation of the workings of the spirit 
here below, as displayed to us in its direction of our 
feelings and thoughts, in its promptings after pure and 
noble aspirations, in its restless strivings either for good 
or evil, we can but imagine, that its reward or punish- 
ment hereafter will essentially partake of its spiritual 
nature; that is to say, that unlike the rewards of this 
world, such as wealth, power and dignity, we believe 
that in a future state, the souls of the righteous will 
attain a more perfect perception of the power and 
attributes of God; and, united in a common bond of 
reverential love for their Creator, will rest in everlasting 
happiness: whereas we imagine that the reverse of this 



160 ELEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

picture "will be tlie lot of tlie wicked, " who will be cut 
off from among their people," or, in other words, will be 
separated from all communion with the spirits of the 
good; and possessing a wretched consciousness of the 
transcendant felicity they are enjoying in recompense of 
their virtue, will, overwhelmed with shame and com- 
punction, be condemned to a state of endless repentance 
and regret for the blessings they have forfeited, through 
their own wilful disregard of the laws and command- 
ments of God. 

Ruth. But Aunt, if all who have ever sinned are to 
be condemned, how few can hope to escape ! There are 
but single instances of what we even should call perfect 
righteousness; and every day, every hour some sin is 
being committed : this appears to me a very discouraging 
doctrine, holding out a reward almost impossible to attain, 
whereas the punishment is sure. 

Aunt, I regret to find you adopt this view of the 
case, as I fear in so doing, you have entirely lost sight of 
the enduring mercy of God. 

*' The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, 
and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, 
neither will He keep His anger for ever, ^e hath not 
dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according 
to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the 
earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him" 
(Ps. ciii. 8—12). 

Does not our daily existence bear witness to this, 
and can we then presume to hold back our faith in the 
mercy of our Heavenly Father? Eather let us earnestly 
seek the means of obtaining the pardon He has so gra- 
ciously promised to the repentant sinner, and surely 
there is but one way of renewing our claim to this 
precious boon. Kepentance and an entire change of 



REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 161 

conduct, must mark our sense of past error, and our de- 
sire to retrieve it in the future ; for we are exhorted — 

" Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye 
upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake 
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, let him 
return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy on 
him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon" 
(Isaiah Iv. 6—8). 

*' Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should 
die? saith the Lord God; but truly that he should re- 
turn from his ways and live" (Ezek. xviii. 23.) 

Jacob. This, of course, refers to eternal life and 
death; that is to say, to what you mentioned just now, 
the different state of the good and wicked after death. 
Aunt, Exactly so; and we find also^ — 
" But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he 
hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that 
which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall 
not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed 
shall not be remembered unto him ; in his righteousness 
that he hath done shall he live " (Ezek. xviii. 21—23). 

I could quote innumerable other verses in corrobo- 
ration of this gracious promise, but as these are suffici-^ 
ently forcible for our present purpose, we will now 
consider the means we must adopt to attain a right 
spirit of repentance. We cannot hope to do so by our 
own unaided efforts, we must humble our hearts to 
our Maker in sincere confession of our sins, and in 
earnest prayer entieat His divine assistance in our 
efforts to overcome our evil inclinations, saying with 
king David: — 

" Create in me a pure heart, God, and renew the 
spirit of rectitude within me. Cast me not out from 
Thy presence; nor take from me Thy Holy Spirit* 

M 



162 ELEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

Eestore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and support 
me -with Thy liberal spirit " (Ps. 11. 12 — 14). 

But prayer, though it should be our first resource, 
will not avail us alone; incessant watchfulness over our 
feelings and actions must effect an amendment in our 
course of life; good and pious deeds must mark our 
repentance and desire to offer atonement. The pre- 
cepts of our holy faith must be observed in the spirit as 
well as the letter ; we must— 

"Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the op- 
pressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow *' 
(Isaiah i. 17). 

; Ruth. I see now, Aunt, that I spoke without reflec- 
tion; that the everlasting mercy of God holds forth hope 
to the repentant sinner; consequently that we have every 
inducement to return to the practice of virtue if we 
have sinned, instead of discouragement as I so foolishly 
said; still I would ask you how we are to understand 
the prosperity of the wicked in this world? Is it not 
calculated rather to increase than repress crime, for if 
the weak and wavering see the hardened sinner re- 
velling in the enjoyments of life, while, as is often the 
case, the humble pious worshipper is weighed down 
with cares and anxieties, is he not more likely to yield 
to the temptations of sin, than to pursue the sterner 
path of virtue, which seems to meet with no reward? 

Aunt. My answer is this : — 

" Because punishment does not follow evil deeds 
quickly, therefore the heart of man becomes careless, and 
practises wickedness. But let the sinner commit sins a 
hundredfold, and experience indulgence; yet am I con- 
vinced that true happiness will be the sure recompense of 
the pious, whilst they fear God '^ (Eccles. viii. 11 — 13). 

And do you not think, my love, that granted even the 



REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 163 

pious worshipper be afflicted here below, and lead a life 
of privation and misery, can you not imagine that he 
also may have a secret spring of happiness to support 
him under his trials, that he is not left entirely deso- 
late? Has he not the consciousness of well doing, and 
the hope of future recompense in the world to come? 
Perhaps were the case uniformly as you have stated, the 
result you mention might be anticipated, but it is not 
so; God in His great mercy frequently sends retribution 
to the wicked, even in this world, that the evidence of 
the senses may serve as a warning to their fellow men. 
The transgressor may, for a time, revel in all the ap- 
pliances of wealth and luxury; may exult in his fancied 
immunity from evil; but suddenly he is hurled down 
from his giddy height, deserted by his so called friends, 
and is left a prey to the haunting consciousness of a 
misspent life. 

" 1 have seen the wicked in great power, and spread- 
ing himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, 
and lo ! he was not : yea, 1 sought him ; but he could not 
be found" (Ps. xxxvii. 35— 37). 

Not so the righteous. 

*' Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down 
for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand. I have 
been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen 
the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread " 
{Ihid, 24—26). 

" But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, 
He is their strength in the time of trouble " [Ibid. 39). 

Jacob. But Aunt, if not as a punishment for sin, how 
then are we to regard the affliction of the righteous? 

Avnt. I think the following verses from the pious as- 
pirations of king David, will satisfactorily answer your 
enquiries, without our presuming to reason further on the 
judgments of the Eternal. 



164 ELEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

'* The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous 
altogether. More to be desired are they than gold^ yea, 
than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the 
honey-comb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned, 
and in keeping of them there is great reward " (Ps. xix. 
10—12). 

Therefore, you perceive, that God, who know^s every 
secret thought and purpose of man, sometimes in mercy 
sends us affliction as a warning against our intended con- 
duct, 

*' Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I 
kept Thy word" (Ps. cxix. 67). 

" It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I 
might learn Thy statutes" [Ibid. 7 1.) 

** I know, Lord, that thy judgments are right, and 
that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let, I pray 
Thee, Thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, accord- 
ing to Thy word unto Thy servant " (Ibid. 75 — 77). 

'^Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the 

Lord delivereth him out of them all '' {Ibid, xxxiv. 1 9) . 

"Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for 

the end of that man is peace; but the transgressors 

shall be cut off" (IM. xxxvii. 37— 39). 

How beautifully are we here shewn that every act of 
the Lord is done in mercy ! '' Before I was afflicted 1 
went astray " — where shall we find a more touching ar- 
gument in favour of submission to every decree of our 
Heavenly Father? He withdraws from us earthly com- 
fort, that we may learn to lean on Him as our sole rock 
and refuge; to feel for ever that — 

*^ God is our refuge and strength, a very present help 
in trouble " (Ps. xlvi. 1 ). 

Ruth. There is one point more I wish explained; 
and then I think we shall have a pretty clear idea of 



REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 165 

nis interesting subject. If a righteous man be led 
-stray to pursue tbe path of wickedness, can he hope 
hat his former piety will avail him in j udgment ; and in 
ike manner will the sins of the repentant trangressor be 
counted against him? 

Aunt. I shall again only reply in the words of scrip- 
ture, for they are so clear that I should feel it presump- 
tuous to add any remarks of my own. 

" But when the righteous turneth away from his 
ighteousness and committeth iniquity, and doeth accord- 
ng to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, 
hall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done 
hall not be mentioned, in his trespass that he hath tres- 
)assed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall 
le die " (Ezek. xviii. 24). 

'^ Again when the wicked man turneth away from his 
wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which 
IS lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because 
he considereth, and turneth away from all his trans- 
gressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he 
shall not die " (Ibid. 27—29). 

How just and consolatory is this decree ! furnishing a 
wholesome warning to the righteous, against yielding to 
the temptations of sin; and encouragement to the trans- 
gressor, to retread the path of virtue ! But I think we 
may now proceed to define the twelfth article of the 
creed: " The future Advent of the Messiah." 

Jacob. " We believe in unwavering faith that the 
Messiah will come at the time appointed on high, which 
is known to God alone, and to no other." In what 
light are we to regard the Messiah, Aunt? as a king, or 
a prophet; and what evidence have we to prove that we 
ought still to expect his advent? Pray explain this 
clearly, for at present I do not understand much about 



166 ELEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

it; and I should like to be able to argue the matter witb 
some of my school riends. 

Aunt. A clear and correct knowledge of this article 
of our belief is so very essential to every Israelite, my 
dear children, that I shall spare no pains to render you 
thoroughly conversant with it, for your own sakes; but 
I must, at the same time, request you resolutely to ab- 
stain from anything approaching controversial argument, 
whether with old or young. In the first place, you are 
as yet far from being sufficiently well grounded in the 
principles of your own faith, to be in a position to parry 
satisfactorily any skilful attacks that may be made on it; 
and secondly, it is a very dangerous practice for young | 
persons without experience, to engage in religious dis- ■ 
cussions with members of another creed, a practice of 
which I highly disapprove, as tending to no good, and 
likely to lead to much evil. We Jews have no need of it 
in any case; we require no further proofs than the Scrip- 
tures afford of the truth of our holy faith, and we are by 
no means commanded to seek converts to its cause; the 
Lord will, in His own good time, incline the hearts of 
the Gentiles to His service. 

Ruth. But Aunt, I thought it was right to be able to 
defend our own faith, and to answer the arguments 
brought against it? 

Aunt. It certainly is imperative that we should be in 
a position to do so; but not always right to make use of 
our power. There is an old saying of Let well alone, 
and 1 think it most applicable in our case. Let us be 
content to study and understand our religion .well our- 
selves, without seeking to make others (aliens to the co- 
venant) do so likewise; we can reap no advantage by so 
doing, and may chance to find ourselves, in the heat of 
argument with an experienced opponent, entangled in 



THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. 167 

the mesTies of vain sophistry, bewildered by contradictory 
statements, which, without convincing our reason, may 
serve to involve us in a labyrinth of perplexities and doubts, 
besides perhaps giving offence to persons whose opinions 
on other points we justly value. For the present, how- 
ever, I intend to confine myself strictly to impressing you 
with the most important evidence connected with the 
Messiah. You must endeavour to obtain a good founda- 
tion, before attempting the superstructure, therefore I 
shall certainly not enlarge sufficiently at this stage of the 
subject to give you any opportunity of entering on an 
argument; though at a later period, when you have ex- 
tended your information on the integral principles of our 
holy faith, I will, with pleasure, assist you to collect an 
array of Scripture evidence in favour of our hope and 
belief in a redemption through the Messiah, that you 
may then bring forward, should a necessity offer for 
resisting any attacks on your faith ; but ordy in that event, 
not for the sake of mere argument. Now what is the 
signification of the word Messiah ? 

Jacob. It is the English word for H^^^, which means 
anointed. The Messiah is to be a descendant of king 
David, and of the tribe of Judah, is he not? The 
patriarch Jacob foretold, " that the sovereignty should 1 
not depart from Judah," etc., etc. ; and this predictioa is"^ 
repeated constantly by almost all the prophets. 

Ruth. But I do not quite see how this prophecy has 
been fulfilled; Saul, the first king, was of the tribe of |J 
Benjamin, and now the kingdom has been abolished for 
many years. 

Aunt. It is quite true that Saul was of the tribe of 
Benjamin; but do you not remember that.it was against 
the will of the Almighty that the Israelites insisted at. 



168 ELEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

that time on having a king, and that when Samuel com- 
plained to Him : — 

" And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the 
voice of the people in all that they will tell thee_, for they 
have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that 
I should reign over them " (I Sam. vii. 7). 

And again : " I gave thee a king in mine anger, and 
removed him in my wrath " (Hoseaxiii. 11). 

But we must now trace the fulfilment of the prophecy 
respecting Judah, whose pre-eminence over his brethren 
was to consist in the descent of the Messiah from his 
family, and in whose tribe the kingdom and legislation 
were to remain for ever, in token whereof he is compared 
to the lion; and Jacob says: " The children of thy father 
shall bow down to thee." 

Jacob. But why was Judah, the youngest of the four 
elder brothers, selected ? 

Aunt. Reuben had grievously sinned; Simeon and 
Levi were unworthy, from their headstrong violence and 
cruelty; therefore Judah, who was the least culpable, was 
chosen from his priority of birth to his other brethren, 
and we find his tribe taking precedence throughout: 
thus Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the 
tribe of Judah, was first named by the Lord to do the 
wark' of the tabernacle. 

*' And he that offered his offering the first day was 
Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah '' 
(Ni:knifcvii.l2). 

Siibseq^iently, after the death of Joshua, when the 
Israelites enquired of the Lord who should go up to fight 
against the'CidnaajRites, the Lord said: " Judah shall go 
up." At thd death of Saul, we find the fulfilment of the 
prophecy respecting the sceptre, commencing; though 



THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. 169 

even as we have seen before, the leadership was ever in the 
tribe of Judah, and it was said, " Saul hath slain his 
thousands, and David his tens of thousands," when he 
led the people to battle against the Philistines. In speak- 
ing of his selection as king, David says: — 

" The Lord chose me before the house of my fathers 
to be king over Israel for ever; for He hath chosen Judah 
to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of 
my father, among the sons of my father. He willed to 
make me king over Israel" (1 Chron.xxxiii. 4). 

Thus far we can prove the sceptre having been be- 
stowed on the tribe of Judah: we have now to shew 
that the sovereignty was confirmed to the seed of David 
for ever. We can easily trace, from our biblical records, 
that it descended in a line to Zedekiah, the last king of 
Judah, since whose death, during the BabylonislT cap- 
tivity, we hold that it has been suspended, but not abro- 
gated : and we believe it will remain in the present state 
of suspension until the coming of the Messiah, who will 
assuredly be of the seed of David ; for it w^as promised to 
him through Nathan the prophet: " But thy house and 
thy kingdom shall stand for ever, thy throne shall be for 
evermore " (2 Sam.vii. 16). We cannot doubt the future 
fulfilment of this prophecy, for it is corroborated repeat- 
edly by thelater prophets, from whose writings we shall 
shortly select some few instances; but I think it will first' 
be advisable to seek to understand the nature and mission , 
of our expected Messiah, and in what light we are to 
regard Him."^ 

Jacob. We have been taught to expect in the Messiah 

* Wq are aware that various interpretations have been given 
to this text, for which we refer the reader to page 351, note (c?), 
of " Sacred Scriptures," by the Rev. D. A. De Sola and Dr. M. J. 
Eaphall. 



; 



170 ELEVENTH CONVEKSATION. 

a Kuman being, tlie proplnet and messenger of God, the 
king whom He will anoint to collect and reign over the 
restored remnant of Israel. 

Aunt. You have retained a very correct impression 
of this subject. We undoubtedly believe that the Mes- 
siah will be a human being; the servant of the Lord, 
whom He will raise up from the seed of Jesse and the 
tribe of Judah, to perform the glorious mission which 
will be allotted to him, and that like Moses and the other 
prophets, he will be accountable for every act and deed. 
We believe that he will be no ordinary character; on the 
contrary, we know that he will possess qualities and 
talents fitting him, in a pre-eminent degree, for the ex- 
alted station he is to occupy. 

" And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of 
Jesse,' and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. On 
him shall rest the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom 
and understanding; the spirit of counsel and of might, 
the spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord ; and 
shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the 
Lord, and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, 
neither reprove after the hearing of his ears. But with 
righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with 
equity for the meek of the earth ; and he shall smite the 
earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of 
^^liis lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness 
shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle 
of his reins" (Isaiah xi. 1 — 6). 

We have here a perfect description of the distinguish- 
ing characteristics of the expected king Messiah; and 
again we find: — 

" Behold, days are coming saith the Lord, that I will 
erect unto David the plant oF the righteous. And he 
shall rule as king, and act prudently, and do justice and 



THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. 171 

rigliteousness in the land. In his days shall Judah be 
saved, and Israel shall dwell securely, and this is the 
name which they shall call him, The Lord our Kighteous- 
ness ^' ( Jer. xxiii. 5 — 7). 

Ruth. What do we expect that the Messiah will 
especially effect for Israel; and will the state of the world 
be changed at his advent? Are we to look forward to 
him as a mediator with God for our sins? 

Aunt. I must answer your last question first. If you 

mean anything approaching to a Saviour, or supernatural 

being, I unhesitatingly say, Certainly not: he will 

be no further a mediator with God, than were Moses and 

the other prophets; he will be the appointed agent of 

Srod's power, to redeem us from our present captivity^ 

o gather us from the four quarters of the globe, and to 

3-assemble us in the land of Palestine. But his mission 

ill be purely sublunary: he will himself be mortal, 

erefore can possess no power of salvation. 

" I even I am the Lord; and besides me there is no 

a^iour" (Isaiah xliii. 11). 

Still, though deprecating the faintest idea of ascribing 
t the Messiah the Divine power of salvation, which 
i.ONE APPEETAINS TO THE ALMIoHTt, you 
nst not imagine for a moment that I would have you 
Ic upon the Redeemer as an ordinary mortal. I would 
01' impress on your minds, that he will possess no 
Dne Attributes; but you have yourselves seen, in our 
latpotation from Isaiah, that we are to regard him as 
on)re-eminently selected, and endowed with the most 
exiid moral and intellectual faculties; and when we 
ha-^ully discussed the objects of his mission, viewing 
the in connection with the glorious promises of re- 
denion sent us through our prophet and lawgiver 
Mo£ there will, I trust, be no need to exhort you to 



172 ELEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

look forward to his advent with earnest anticipation, 
and to himself with feelings of respect and love, as 
the chosen agent in the fulfilment of God^s gracious 
promises of mercy to the remnant of His children. I 
think we will now leave the further consideration of this 
interesting subject, and the conclusion of the creed, until 
next week; as Ave have only one more conversation in 
prospect before our anticipated excursion into the coun- i 
try, which will necessarily close our Friday Evening i 
meetings for some time; when I have no doubt the little 
interlude you will, I trust, enjoy, will enable you the 
better to digest and appreciate the information you have 
been so zealously acquiring this winter, on the spirit and 
principles of our holy faith. 



\\ 



TWELFTH CONYERSATIOK 

THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. — THE RESURRECTION 
OF THE DEAD. — CONCLUSION. 

Aunt, I BELIEVE, my dear Ruth, we left two of your 
very pertinent questions unanswered last week, therefore 
in common justice, we will give them the precedence in 
our discussions this evening. You asked, I think, what 
we expect the Messiah will effect for Israel, and also 
whether the state of the world will be changed at his 
advent. In the first place, we are led, from the words of 
Scripture, to await with confidence the restoration of the 
remnant of Israel to Palestine, their "promised land:" 
we expect that our captives will be reassembled from the 
four quarters of the globe into one state, there to be 
governed by the king Messiah, under the one Divine 
code of laws. 

Jacob. But Aunt, you know there are only two tribes 
now existing (Judah and Benjamin), besides the descend- 
ants of Levi; do you mean that the other tribes will be 
found, and reunited to them, when not a trace has been 
discovered for so many years? 

Aunt. My dear boy, just reflect for a moment. Can 
there be anything too great for the Almighty to perform, 
or is any one circumstance concealed from His Omni- 
science? Is it then because we powerless mortals have 
lost the track of our missing brethren, that He, in His 



174 TWELFTH CONVERSATION. 

own good time cannot bring tliem to ligKt, and reunite 
tlie members of His chosen people? But I will recite 
the gracious promises beld out to us, and your doubts 
will then pass away, as the clouds disappear before the 
dazzling rays of the sun. 

" And it shall come to pass when all these things have 
come upon thee, the blessing and the curse which I have 
set before thee; and thou shalt call them to mind among 
all the nations whither the Lord thy God shall have 
driven thee, and thou shalt return unto the Lord thy 
God, and shalt obey His voice according to all that I 
command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all 
thy heart and with all thy soul : that the Lord thy God 
"will restore thy captivity and will have compassion upon 
thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations 
whither the Lord thy God shall have scattered thee. If 
thy outcasts be at the utmost parts of heaven, from thence 
will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will 
He fetch thee: and the Lord thy God will bring thee 
into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt 
possess it, and He will do thee good, and multiply thee 
above thy fathers" (Deut. xxx. 1 — 5). 

This is the prediction of Moses, our prophet and law- 
giver ; you will now see how it is corroborated by Isaiah 
and Ezekiel. 

'^ And it shall come to pass on that day the Lord shall 
put forth His hand again, the second time to recover the 
remnant of His people which shall remain, from Assyria, 
and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Gush, and 
from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and 
from the islands of the sea. And He will set up an 
ensign for the nations, and will gather the outcasts of 
Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four 
corners of the earth " (Isaiah xi. 11 — 13^ 



THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. 175 

" And speak to them, Thus saith the Lord God, 
Behold, I take the children of Israel from between the 
nations whither they have wandered, and I will gather 
them from around, and bring them unto their own land. 
And I will make them into one nation in the land, on the 
mountains of Israel: and one king shall be to them all 
as king, and they shall be no more two nations, nor be 
any more divided into two kingdoms " (Ezekiel xxxvii. 
21—23). 

" And my servant David shall be king over them, and 
one shepherd shall be to them all, and in my judgments 
they shall walk, and my statutes they shall observe and 
do them. And they shall dwell upon the land which I 
gave to my servant Jacob, in which your fathers have 
dwelt, they and their children, and their children's 
children for ever, and my servant David shall be prince 
to them for ever " {Ibid, 24—26). 

Jacob. This is indeed clear and convincing as regards 
our restoration, and the descent of the Messiah from 
the seed of David; and now, what further are we to 
expect from his agency? 

Aunt. We believe that he will be the means of re- 
claiming the Israelites from their sins, and of turning 
their hearts to righteousness, when the Lord will in 
mercy pardon their transgressions and make a new cove- 
nant with them ; thus we find : — 

"Behold! days are coming, saith the Lord, when I 
will make with the house of Israel, and with the house 
of Judah, a new covenant; not like the covenant which 
I made with their fathers, on the day when I took hold 
of their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, 
which my covenant they violated, and I felt disgust for 
them, saith the Lord: for this is the covenant which I 
will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith 



176 TWELFTH CONVERSATION. 

the Lord: I have placed my law in tlieir inmost part, 
and upon their heart I will write it, and I will be their 
God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not 
teach any more one his neighbour and one his brother, 
saying, Know ye the Lord, for they shall all know me,^ 
from their small to their great ones, saith the Lord; for 
I will pardon their iniquity and their sin I will no more 
remember " (Jer. xxxi. 31 — 34). 

"And the Eedeemer shall to come Zion, and unto them 
that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. 
As for me this is my covenant with them saith the Lord : 
My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have 
put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth, 
nor out of the mouth of thy children's children, saith 
the Lord, from henceforth and for ever " (Isaiah lix. 
20—23). 

You have now, I imagine, been enabled to form a 
slight but correct idea of the effect we anticipate the 
advent of the Messiah will have on Israel; we will 
therefore proceed to the second point of enquiry — 
the state of the world generally at that period. Not 
only to the Jews, w^ho will undoubtedly be the pro- 
minent objects of his mission, but to all the nations of 
the earth will the King Messiah prove the herald of 
good, the harbinger of peace and of truth. 

Ruth. Do you mean to say. Aunt, that those who 
worship God under different impressions to ourselves, 
and who are not governed by the Mosaic code, will be 
equally accepted at the coming of the Messiah? 

Aunt, We can only base our anticipation of future 
events on the predictions of scripture, my love; we 
know thus much, however, that with the Israelites, 
*' the chosen people," alone, was the covenant on Sinai 
-made; therefore on them alone are its conditions and 



THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. 177 

precepts binding, and from the observance of wbicb 
nothing can in any way absolve them : to them also, as 
an individual nation, was the glorious promise of a 
Kedeemer vouchsafed. But we dare not presume to 
affix a limit to the justice and mercy of God, who ex- 
cludes none of His children, the beings of His creation 
from His Divine guardianship. We, with such a reve- 
lation for our guidance, have no excuse for ill-doing; 
and yet how grievously have we sinned, and been par- 
doned times out of number ! Think you then that none 
other than ourselves will be weighed in the scale of 
mercy? Think you that He who created all the de- 
nizens of this vast sphere, will not mete out His justice 
in proportion to their responsibilities and deserts? No, 
my dear children, we believe that on the Advent of the 
Messiah, the hearts and the minds of the nations will be 
opened to receive the one pure faith, which will spread 
itself all over the world: we believe that all mankind 
will then be brought to acknowledge the One sole God, 
to recognise His Unity, and to worship Him in humble 
veneration as the only One Almighty Power in ex- 
istence. 

*' And the Lord shall be king over all the earth : in 
that day the Lord alone shall be acknowledged the 
only Lord, and His name recognised as the only one " 
(Zech. xiv. 9). 

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the 
mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the 
top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the 
hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And many 
people shall go and say : Come ye, and let us go up to 
the mountain of the Lord^ to the house of the God of 
Jacob ; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will 
walk in His paths ; for out of Zion shall go forth the 

N 



178 TWELFTH CONVERSATION. 

law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem " 
(Isaiah ii. 2 — 4). 

We are also taught to expect that at the blessed 
period of our redemption, universal peace will prevail 
on the earth: no longer will the resounding echoes of 
the murderous cannon strike terror and desolation into 
the heart of man: the din and horrors of war will cease, 
at the approach of the messenger of peace. 

" And he shall judge among many people, and re- 
buke strong nations afar off. And they shall beat their 
swords into plough-shares and their spears into pruning- 
hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor 
shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every 
man under his vine and under his fig-tree, and none 
shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of 
Hosts hath spoken it " (Micah iv. 3 — 5). 

So perfect indeed, are we led to believe the promised 
peace will be, that, not alone will it prevail among 
mankind, but the brute creation we are told will also 
come in for a share of its blessings. Animals which, 
in the present state of the world, are utterly antagonis- 
tic in their nature^ will consort together; the strong 
will no longer prey upon the weak. Whichever way 
this be understood, either literally or as referring to the 
amelioration of the evil passions of man, the beneficial 
result is equally discoverable. 

" And it shall come to pass, that before they call I 
will answer, and while they are yet speaking I will hear. 
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion 
shall eat straw like the bullock, and dust shall be the ser- 
pent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my 
holy mountain, saith the Lord ^' (Isaiah Ixv. 24 — 26). 

Jacob. Is there any specified time for us to expect 
the Advent of the Messiah, any sign by which we shall 



THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. 179 

recognise liis approacli, and be on our guard against 
imposition ? 

Aunt. The glorious period of the Advent of the 
Messiah is known to Him alone whose Messenger he 
will prove. The predictions of the prophets all speak 
with certainty as to the fact of his coming; but affix no 
precise date to that event, it is spoken of throughout 
as "m the end of days.'' 

" I, the Lord^ will hasten it in its time '^ (Isaiah Ix. 22). 

" But it shall be one day, which is known only to the 
Lord, not day nor night; but it shall come to pass that 
at evening time it shall be light ^' (Zech. xiv. 7). 

Still we are not left to our own erring judgment and 
imagination in so important a matter; we are provided 
with predictions of tokens and signs, so clear in their 
import, so free from mystery, that no doubt can arise in 
our minds as to whether they have, or have not been 
fulfilled. 

Jacob. Why certainly, Aunt, we cannot for a mo- 
ment entertain the idea of the Messiah having arrived; 
it would be quite ridiculous if we were to attempt to 
reason on it, when not one of the prophecies you have 
quoted has been fulfilled. Have we been re-assembled 
from the four quarters of the globe, and are we all 
united in the land of Canaan? Has there been uni- 
versal peace, either among mankind or the brute crea- 
tion; and does the belief in the One sole God prevail 
in the world? And then as the crowning indisputable 
indication of the approaching Advent of the Messiah, 
have we not been promised a herald? 

Aunt. Yes, my boy, God in his mercy will send to 
prepare the way for his anointed, 

** Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall pre- 
pare the way before me; and the Lord whom you seek 



80 TWELFTH CONVERSATION. 



4 



shall suddenly come to His temple;, and the messenger 
of the covenant, whom you delight in, behold he cometh, 
saith the Lord of Hosts " (Malachi iii. 1). 

'^ Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet, before 
the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord: 
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the chil- 
dren, and the heart of the children to their fathers" 
(Ibid.iv. 5—6). 

You have now, I trust, become tolerably conversant 
with the main points of the doctrine of the Messiah, and 
of our hope and faith in the glorious redemption pro- 
mised to us on his Advent; and I will, therefore, not en- 
large further at present, as I should wish you to make 
yourselves thoroughly familiar with the information you 
have acquired, as also the texts we have adduced in ex- 
emplification. You must not, however, imagine that 
our evidence only rests on the quotations we have ad- 
vanced; I have but selected a few of the most forcible 
as a solid foundation. We shall, I am sure, experience 
much pleasure and interest some time hence in collecting 
corroborative ones, sufiicient to crush any argument 
however plausible, that can be advanced against us; and 
now, in conclusion, we will define the thirteenth and 
last Article of our creed, *' the Resurrection of the 
Dead.^' 

Buth. " We believe that at the appointed time, which 
is unknown to mankind, our blessed Creator will revive 
the dead, and that all those who sleep in the dust will 
awake, their souls being reunited to their bodies." 

Aunt. We are taught to believe that at the Resur- 
rection — 

" Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead 
body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell 
in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs; and the 
earth shall cast forth the dead " (Isaiah xxvi. 1 9). 



THE KESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. 181 

*' Then He said unto me, Son of man, these bones are 
the whole house of Israel: behold they say, Our bones 
are dried, and our hope is lost, we are entirely cut off. 
Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the 
Lord God: Behold, my people, I will open your 
graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, 
and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall 
know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your 
graves, my people, and brought you up out of your 
graves. And I will put my spirit in you, and ye shall 
live, and I will place you in your own land : then shall 
ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed 
it, saith the Lord'* (Ezek. xxxvii. 11 — 14). 

Ruth. Is not this called the Day of Judgment also, 
when all our actions will pass in review before the Lord, 
to receive reward and punishment? 

Aunt. Yes, my love, for on this great 'May of 
wrath ^^ will the gates of Judgment be opened, through 
which all must alike enter to receive the reward of their 
deserts. 

" For the day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon 
every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one 
that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low; and 
the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the 
haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord 
alone shall be exalted on that day" (Isaiah ii. 12 — 17). 

" And many of them that sleep in the dust shall 
awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and 
everlasting contempt. And they that are wise shall 
shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that 
turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and 
ever " (Daniel xii. 2 — 4). 

Jacob, Are we then to understand that sinners will 
be punished everlastingly, that there is no hope for them 
hereafter? 



182 TWELFTH CONVERSATION. 

Aunt. I should be sorry to assert anything of the I 
kind, my boy, for we can assign no limit to the mercy 
of the Eternal;* all we know is, that those unhappy 
beings who wickedly reject the laws of God, walk in 
the paths of vice, and die without repentance, cannot 
entertain a hope of that pardon which will be conceded 
only to those, who having sinned, humble themselves in 
sincere repentance before their offended judge, and 
make all the reparation in their power in this life, 
by a zealous discharge of all the duties they had hitherto 
neglected. We may, however, trust that the prayers of 
the virtuous on behalf of their erring brethren will be 
accepted on High, in mitigation of the retribution await- 
ing them. 

** And they shall go forth and look upon the car- 
cases of the men that have transgressed (wilfully) against 
me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their 
fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all 
flesh" (Isaiah Ixvi. 24). 

" Behold all souls are mine, as the soul of the father, 
so also the soul of the son is mine; the soul that sin- 
neth that alone shall die " (Ezek. xviii. 4). 

Huth. Of course this verse alludes to the future life, 
to the separation of the souls of the wicked from those 
of the righteous, is it not so ? And is there no clue given 
as to the time of the Resurrection? 

Aunt. You are quite right in the signification you 
h^ve given to the death of the soul, and now to your 
other question. We are led to suppose that the Re- 
surrection wil 1 be connected with the kingdom of the 
Messiah, to which it will be subsequent, but we have no 
certainty thereof. 

* It is a dogma of the Jewish faith, that in no case is the 
punishment after death to be eternal. 



THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. 183 

*' And He said, Go thy way, Daniel; for the words 
are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many 
shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the 
wicked will do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall 
understand : but the wise shall understand " (Daniel 
xii. 9— 11). 

'^But go thy way till the end be, for thou shalt rest, 
and stand in thy lot at the end of days" [Ibid. 13). 

And now, my dear children, having completed our re- 
view of the Creed, or principles on which we ground our 
faith, we shall be obliged to relinquish our Sabbath 
Evening Conversations for some weeks; trusting that 
nothing will occur to prevent our resuming them with 
renewed zeal, after our return from the country. 

Jacob. I am sure we cannot thank you sufficiently, 
dear Aunt, for the time and interest you have devoted 
to our gratification and instruction; indeed, so tho- 
roughly have both Kuth and I enjoyed our religious dis- 
cussions, that we have determined to retain the impression 
of them, by making abstracts of the principal points and 
texts for occasional reference, and we shall soon have 
the pleasure of shewing you a fair copy of what we 
intend to make a familiar friend. 

Ruth. Indeed, although we shall no doubt enjoy 
ourselves very much amongst our friends, I am sure it 
will seem strange to pass the Sabbath eve without the 
nteresting conversations to which we have been so 
accustomed this winter; however, we shall have another 
course in anticipation, for there is still much on which 
we require information : for instance, the explanation of 
the Commandments; the Festivals, with the ceremonies 
appertaining to each; the origin of the various obser- 
vances, such as the Mezzuzoth, Tephilin, etc. ; the regula- 
tions for food; in fact, all the minute details of our 



184 TWELFTH CONVEESATION. jHI 

religion; and then you know, we are to collect evidence 
from the Bible in support of the principal features of our 
faith, in contra-distinction to the arguments of non- 
believers. How delightful it is to think we have still 
so much work before us ! 

Aunt, It is inexpressibly gratifying to me, my dear 
children, to find how earnestly your minds and feelings 
have entered into the discussion of the serious subjects 
we have taken under consideration: and, believe me, I 
shall have no less pleasure than yourselves, in anticipating 
the renewal of our Sabbath Evening Conversa- 
tions. 



FINIS. 



WERTHEIMEB AND CO., PBIWTEKS, FIWSBUal CISCTTS, 



SABBATH EVENINGS AT HOME; 



FAMILIAR CONVERSATIONS ON THE JEWISH RELIGION, 
ITS SPIRIT AND OBSERVANCES. 



MIRIAM MENDES BELISARIO, 

ACTnOR OF 

A HEBREW AND ENGLISH VOCABULARY FROM A SELECTION OF THE 
DAILY PRAYERS." 



IN TWO PARTS. 

PART IL 

REVISED BY THE REV. D. A. DE SOLA. 



" Train up a child in the wslj he should go, and when he is old he will not 
depart from it." — Prov. xxii. 6. 



LONDON: 
S. JOEL, 42, FORE STREET, CRIPPLEGATE. 



5616—1856. 

ENTE.1ED AT STATIONERS' HALL. 



CONTENTS. 



PART I. 
FIRST CONVERSATION. 

PAGE 

Introduction — Plan of I^iscussions — Religion defined in distinc- 
tion to Creed — DifFei'enfc Faiths illustrated — Israelites belieye 
in the One Sole God — Idolatry — Illustrated from Isaiah — 
The Duties inculcated by Religion — Towards God — Towards 
our Fellow-creatures 1 

SECOND CONVERSATION. 

Natural Religion explained — Reason defined and illustrated — The 
Soul or Spirit — Instinct — A Consideration of the Wonders of 
Nature induces Natural Religion — The Power of God dis- 
played alike in the Host of Heaven, the Depths of the Ocean, 
and the Treasures of the Earth — A Knowledge of Natural 
Religion influential in promoting Obedience to the Revealed 
Will of God— Should be taught from Earliest Childhood . 15 

THIRD CONVERSATION. 

On the Divinity of the Bible — Deist defined— The Jewish Nation 
the Strongest Evidence — Extract from the Prophecy of Moses, 
with Comments — State of the Holy Land additional Proof of 
the Truth of the Prophecies — The peculiar Nature of some of the 
Laws proves the Divine Origin of the Pentateuch — The Sab- 
batical Year — The Command for the Males to repair three 
times in the Year to Jerusalem — The Durability of the Law — 
Its Originality — The Appeal of all Nations to its Dictates — 
A Revelation before the One on Sinai — The Laws of the 
Noachidie— Conscience — Illustrations— Summary of Proofs . 27 

FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

Origin of the Term " Jew " — The Thirteen Articles of the Creed — 
" The Existence of God " — Attributes defined — God is Om- 



Vm CONTENTS. — PART I. 

PAGE 

nipotent and All-wise — '* The Unity of God," the Essence 
of Judaism — The Shemang the Confession of the Jew's Faith 
— " The Incorporeity of God " — No Similitude to be ascribed 
to the Lord — Image Worship forbidden — " The Eternity of 
God" — His Immutability — His Promises likewise unchange- 
able 47 

EIFTH CONVEKSATION. 

" To the One Sole God appertains Worship" — Our Duty to reverence 
and love Him as our Heavenly Father — Talents — Their Uses 
and Responsibility — Domestic Virtues — the proper Use of 
Eiches — Definition of Prayer — The Scriptures applicable to 
every Emergency — Illustration of Instinctive Prayer — Comfort 
to the Afflicted — To the Sinner — Private Communion with 
our Heavenly Father permitted — Self-examination right and 
necessary — A set Formula of Prayer requisite — ^Beauty of our 
Service — The Hebrew Language the Key to our Nationality 
— Should be studied from Early Youth 60 

SIXTH CONVERSATION. 

" The Truth of Prophecy " — Definition and Distinction of Prophecy 
and Visions — The Test of the Truth of Prophecy — Miracles 
—The Magicians of Egypt — Their Enchantments — Charmed 
Serpents — Supremacy of Aaron's Rod — Punishment of Korah, 
etc., proving the Truth of Moses' Mission — Elijah's Sacrifice 
on Mount Carmel — Hananiah's Death — ^Prediction and Ful- 
filment of the Seventy Years' Captivity 77 

SEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

" The Prophecy of Moses " — Sketch of his Early Life — His Ap- 
pointment to his Mission — The Exodus— The Passage of the 
Red Sea — Song of Moses — Marah— Manna — War with Ama- 
lek — The Revelation on Sinai — Aaron and Miriam's Rebellion 
— The Golden Calf and Destruction of the Two Tables of Stone 
— The Humility and Self-abnegation of Moses — The Glory of 
the Lord revealed to Moses — The Blessing of the Cohanim — A 
Cohen and Levi called up first to the Reading of the Law . 94 

EIGHTH CONVERSATION. 

The Seventy Elders— The Twelve Spies — Aaron's Rod blossomed 
— Moses smote the Rock — In consequence forbidden to enter 
the Promised Land — Death of Aaron— The Priesthood con- 



CONTENTS. — PART I. IX 

PAGE 

ferred on the Descendants of Phineas for ever— The People 
numbered for the last time in the Plains of Moab — The She- 
mang — Exhortations to Obedience — Character developed by 
Circumstances — Threatening Prophecies from Leviticus and 
Deuteronomy, with Comments — Consolatory Predictions of 
the Kestoration of Israel, with Corroborations from Isaiah, 
Jeremiah, and E rekiel — Death of Moses 110 

NINTH CONVERSATION. 

" The Revelation of the Law " — Beneficial Practice of commencing 
the Day with reading the Scriptures — The Selection of 
Abraham— Few virtuous Characters before him — The several 
Promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — The Israelites 
willingly accepted the Covenant of Horeb — The Ten Com- 
mandments — The Foundation of our Laws — the Oral Law 
explained — Its different Works — Unnecessary Restrictions — 
The Fences to our Religion — The Oral Law the Key to the 
Written Law — " The Permanency of the Law " — No Change 
admissible . 126 

TENTH CONVERSATION. 

" The Omniscience of the Lord " — Omniscience and Omnipresence 
defined and illustrated — Fate — Free Will granted to Man to 
choose between Good and Evil — A Good and Bad Conscience 
— The Divine Superintendence of the Universe — All works for 
Good — " Rewards and Punishments " — The Soul — Death — Its 
Certainty — The Vanity of Wealth — The Instinct of Immor- 
tality inherent in Mankind — References to a Future State 
throughout the Scriptures— Quotations 144 

ELEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

Rewards and Punishments continued — No direct Knowledge of the 
State of the Soul after Death — Pardon promised to those who 
turn from Transgression — Retribution for Sin certain in a 
Future State, if not meted out on Earth— The Righteous sup- 
ported under Trial — Afiiiction sent in Mercy — Often a Warn- 
ing against Sin — Former Righteousness will not avail against 
After Iniquity — "The Advent of the Messiah" — Wrong to 
argue on Religion with Aliens— Jacob's Prophecy of the 
Messiah— Supremacy of the Tribe of Judah — The Sovereignty 
suspended not abrogated — The Messiah a Prophet and Messen- 
ger of God — Will be pre-eminent in Wisdom and Virtue — No 
further a Mediator with God than Moses, etc., etc. — Salvation 
proceeds alone from the Eternal , 15^ 



CONTENTS. — PART I. 



TWELETH CONVERSATION. 

PAGE 

The Restoration of Israel to Palestine will be the consequence of 
the Advent of the Messiah— The Missing Ten Tribes will 
be restored — The Israelites will be reclaimed from Sin 
— All Nations will partake of the Mercy of God according 
to their Deserts and Responsibilities — The Eternal will be 
recognised universally as the One Sole God — Peace will 
prevail both with Mankind and the Brute Creation — No 
- Period specified for the Advent of the Messiah — Signs by 
which we must recognise Him — Elijah the Prophet — " The 
Resurrection of the Dead " — The Day of Judgment — Hopes 
for sinners through Repentance and Amendment in this Life — 
Life and Death of the Soul — The Resurrection supposed to be 
connected with the Kingdom of the Messiah — Mentioned in 
S6ripture as at " the End of Days " — Conclusion of Eirst 
Course of Discussions 173 



PART II. 
THIRTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

PAGE. 

Return from the Country — The Seasons compared to the Eras of 
Man's Life — "Eirst Commandment" — The Unity of God — 
The Eundamental Principle of the Jewish Eaith — " Second 
Commandment" — Idolatry under any Shape forbidden — No 

^ Adventitious Aids to Worship permitted — Necessary to guard 
against adopting the Customs of other Eaiths — A Belief in 
Signs, Eortune -Tellers, etc., all included in Idolatry — "The 
Sins of the Fathers visited upon the Children" explained; 
and the Belief in such, without limitation, refuted from Scrip- 
ture — " Third Commandment" — Occasions on which it is per- 
mitted to invoke the Name of the Lord — Signification of an 
.Oath, and the Solemnity of taking one — A Vow defined— Dif- 
ferent Ways of " taking the Lord's Name in vain" — A Ealse 
Oath the most prominent — Swearing and Cursing second to this 
in Sin — Familiar Appeals to the Lord on all Occasions to be 
avoided as irreverent — His Name not to be associated with 

Trifles .185 

FOURTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

''Fourth Commandment" — The Sabbath commemorative of the 
.- Creation— Peculiarly bestowed on the Israelites — A Memorial 



CONTENTS. — PART II. XI 



PAGE 

of the Departure from Egypt — Miracle of the Manna — All 
Labour to be avoided on the Sabbath — Woman's Respon- 
sibility — Preparations for the Sabbath— Its Blessings— Kidush, 
Sabbath Lamp — Blessing of the Bread, dipped in Salt — No 
omitted Purchases to be remedied on the Sabbath — Partaking 
of Worldly Amusements not consonant to the Quotation from 
Isaiah — Religion should be studied on the Sabbath — Better to 
have the Opportunity of resisting Temptation — Of sacrificing 
Inclination to Duty — Conclusion 199 

FIFTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

" Fifth Commandment" — Sacred Tie of Parent and Child — Punish- 
ments awarded in the Law for Irreverence, and for smiting 
or cursing a Parent — Few Instances among us — The Customs 
of our Fathers to be respected — The Commands of God 
supersede all others — The Child to become the Parent's Prop 
— Respect for Old Age generally commanded — " Sixth 
Commandment" includes Murder, Suicide, Wanton Injury, 
Indirect Murder — The latter explained — Death awarded 
according to Law permissible — Only on the Evidence of Two 
or Three Witnesses — State of Mind of a direct Murderer — 
Secret Crimes revealed from an uneasy Conscience — Suicide 
— Man has no Control over his Being — Causes that lead to 
Murder — Great Principle of Judaism—" To Love thy Neigh- 
bour as Thyself" — Precepts claimed by Christians, to have 
been instituted by their Founder, proved to have been taken 
from our Scriptures — Necessary to practise Forbearance from 
Childhood — The possible Effects of Passion — Anecdote — 
Suppressed Anger extinguishes itself — Kind Words and Sym- 
pathy precious to the Poor — An Incident from real Life — 
Judge others as we would judge ourselves — Refuse not 
Assistance when in thy Power to render it — Forbidden to 
maim or injure anyone — To torture and wantonly kill 
Animals, Insects, etc 211 

SIXTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

*' Seventh Commandment" — Solomon's Picture of a Virtuous 
Woman — Beauty perishable; not to be regarded as a Merit 
— Virtue imperishable — " Eighth Commandment" — Disgrace 
attached to the detected Thief— Robbery or Theft punishable 
by Law — Different Forms of Fraud — Short Weights and 
Measure — If undetected here, the Sin registered on High— To 
depreciate the real Value of an Article falsely, dishonest — 



Xll CONTENTS. — PART II. 

PAGE 

Riglit to keep within one's Means ■ — Illustration — Pretension 
to be avoided — The Law of Eestitution — Childish Thefts of 
Sweets, etc., to be guarded against — " Thou shalt do no 
Unrighteousness in Judgment — Perverted Evidence dishonest 

— Appropriating to oneself anything found — Passive 
Stealing — Forbidden in the Law — To defer paying our 
Tradespeople their just Dues, another Species of Dishonesty 
caused frequently by Heedlessness, originating in the Non- 
observance of the Precept, "To love thy Neighbour as thy- 
self" — Eobbing them of their time — Truth, the Foundation 
of every Virtue — Psalm xv. — Eequires Courage to withstand 
Disgrace or Ridicule — Relief of Mind when conquered — A 
Fault aggravated into a Sin by Falsehood — Illustration- 
Right Actions can afford to be laughed at — One Untruth 
the Cause of much Trouble — Necessitates others to cover it 

— Exaggeration in Conversation to be avoided — Also tacit 
Deceit — The latter explained and illustrated — 'An incessant 
Watch over ourselves necessary to guard against practising 
Deceit — Prayer from Proverbs ...... 229 

SEVENTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

" Ninth Commandment" — Infraction of this, sometimes causes that 
of the Sixth and Eighth — To raise a False Report defined — 
Casual Gossip reprehensible — The Truth need not always be 
spoken — Charity; its general Signification — Duty to relieve 
the Needy — To allow them to glean fair Profits — The Law 
contains Precepts for every Emergency — The Principle of so- 
called Christian Charity taken from our Scriptures — Poor 
and Rich unite in Brotherhood — No man independent of 
Sympathy— Charitable Feelings can be practised by Poor as 
well as Rich — To lend a helping Hand to recall the Repentant 
Sinner, a Duty of Charity — " Tenth Commandment" — Covet- 
ousness to be guarded against — Envy the Origin of it — 
Defined as Rebellion against the Lord — Destroys all Hap- 
piness — Better to abstain from Vain Wishes — Ambition to 
excel, a right Feeling, if properly directed — Conclusion of 
the Commandments 244 

EIGHTEENTH CONVERSATION. 
Jewish Mode of reckoning — Commercial Transactions regulated by 
the Common Year— All Religious Matters, &c., by the Hebrew 
Months — Veadar — The Passover to be celebrated in the Spring 
Month Nissan — The First of the Months — Tishri, the Assump- 
tion of the Period of the Creation — Corresponding Hebrew and 
English Months — The Observance of the New Moon — Second 



CONTENTS. — PAKT II. XIU 



Days of Festivals — The Maphtir — The Purpose of the Institu- 
tion of Sacrifice — Not available for Atonement for Sin withont 
Eepentauce and Kestitution — To be offered only in the Ap- 
pointed Place — The Offering of the Poor provided for in the 
Law — Offerings of Money in Synagogue commemorative of 
the Sacrifices — Agomel— Stated Periods on which the Law is 
read in Public — Divided into Fifty-four Sections — Aftorah — 
Musaph 257 

NINETEENTH CONVERSATION. 

The Festivals, &c.; Commemorative of Events in our National His- 
tory — The Passover explained, with the Authority from the 
Law — The Paschal Lamb — the Festive Sacrifice of the Pass- 
over in the Temple — The Agadah — Semoreem— Shank Bone of 
the Lamb— Egg — Charoseth — Horse-radish and Parsley — 
Our Dwellings to be thoroughly purified before the Passover — 
Cleanliness a necessary Component of all our Observances — 
All Leaven, Spirituous Liquors, &c., to be removed on the 
Morning of the Festival — Right to have distinct Utensils — 
Middle Days regarded as Half Festivals — Second Passover — 
Redemption of the First Born — Period at which it is to take 
place, and Value to be given — Fast of the First-born — Count- 
ing the Omer — lyar — Thirty-third Day of the Omer — Feast of 
Weeks — Blessings of the Law — Reward held out to us — Re- 
marks on the History of Ruth — David a Descendant of Ruth — 
The Azaroth — The Fast of Tamuz — Authorised by the Lord 
— Origin of its Observance. . , 275 

TWENTIETH CONVERSATION. 

Fast of the Ninth of Ab — Psalm cxxxvii. — Relation of Events 
connected with the Destrufction of the Second Temple — Con- 
solitary Promises in Isaiah — Heachol hung with black — 
Lamentations of Jeremiah — Penitential Prayers in Elul— New 
Year— Origin of sounding the Shophar — An Acknowledgment 
of our Creator and King — A Memorial of Abraham's intended 
Sacrifice of Isaac — A Warning to repent of our Sins — The 
Penitential Days — Fast of Gedaliah — The History of his 
Murder — The Eastern Custom of eating Bread and Salt — 
Ephraim synonymous with Israel — J udah Distinct , . , 289 

TWENTY-FIRST CONVERSATION. 

The Day of Atonement — Distinct from all other Observance — 
Scripture Authority — Fasting and Prayer insuflQcient for 
Atonement without Repentance — Isaiah Iviii. — Sins against 
Man can only be atoned for by Reparation— The Duties to be 



XIV CONTENTS. — PAKT II. 

PAGE 

fulfilled before the Day of Atonement — The Sacredness and 
Solemnity of this Institution — The Reflections it should call 
forth — Its Effects on the callous and indifferent — The Feast of 
Tabernacles — Eeasons for not dwelling in the Succah as in 
former Times — Obligatory on the Males of Israel to say the 
Blessing in it once daily — The Day of Solemn Assembly — 
Simchath Torah— The Chatanim — The Loolab — The Mode 
in which it is used in the Service — Nothing commanded with- 
out a wise and beneficial Purpose — The Hoshana — Hoshana 
Rabba— Marchesvan the Rain- Month S02 

TWENTY-SECOND CONVERSATION. 

Hanucah — Origin of this Festival — The Maccabees — Their Banner 
— Burn Lamps for Eight Days — Nothing remarkable in 
Shebet— Fast of Esther — Purim — Megillah — Sketch of chief 
points connected with this Festival — Gifts generally bestowed 
on the Poor — None of our Observances superstitious — Origin 
of the Tzitzith — Purple Colour no longer in Existence — 
Talleth Worn in Synagogue only in the Day — The Tephillin 
described — Paragraphs enclosed in them — Mezzuzoth — 
Origin — Description and Mode of Use 317 

TWENTY-THIRD CONVERSATION. 

Forbidden Food — Reasons for the Restrictions quoted from Scrip- 
ture — Blood — Cashering Meat — Fat — Unsound Animals — 
Trefa— Nebelah — Casher — Shrunk Sinew — Butter and Meat — 
Thirty Days' Mourning — Seven Days — Kerigna — The Ashcaba 
Kadish— The Age of Thirteen— Abdallah— Turn to the East 
for Prayers — Cover the Head for Prayers— The Wine-glass 
broken at the Marriage Ceremony — Intermarriages Avith Aliens 
forbidden — Wrong to teach the Principles of any Faith but 
our own , . . . . 332 

TWENTY-FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

Promise of the Restoration of Israel from Jeremiah xxx. — Prophe- 
cies respecting the Advent of the Messiah under different 
Heads — Passages in Scripture perverted by Non-believers in 
Judaism — Advantage of Jewish Exposition and Translation of 
the Bible — Fifty-second and Fifty-third Chapters of Isaiah 
misinterpreted in the ordinary Version — The Fulfilment of the 
Prophecies the only Test of the Advent of the Messiah — 
Concluding Remarks — Farewell 344 



SABBATH EVENING CONVERSATIONS, 

PART II. 



THIRTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

THE SEASONS — FIKST, SECOND AND THIRD 
COMMANDMENTS. 

Aunt. Well, my dear children, How do you feel dis- 
posed after our long holiday? I hope the pleasure you 
have enjoyed during the last eight weeks has not given 
you a disinclination to renew your studies ; and as regards 
our religious discussions^ in what position do we stand? 
Are you still desirous of prosecuting them, or has any 
other pursuit usurped their place? 

Jacob. How could you imagine such a thing for 
a moment, dear Aunt ? On the contrary, we are more than 
•ever anxious to continue them; indeed, we have spoken 
so warmly in their favour to our young friends, that they 
are quite envious of our privilege of conversing so freely 
with you, and as their distant residence prevents their 
joining us occasionally, which would have proved a 
mutual pleasure, they have asked us to lend them our 

o 



186 THIRTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

abstracts, that they may, at least, partake in a slight: 
degree of the information you so kindly afford us. 

Ruth. I can assure you, Aunt, our conversation on 
natural religion was constantly referred to in our country 
walks; we could no longer pass on with our eyes shut 
to the beauties of nature, the gradual formation and 
growth of the buds excited our continual interest; every 
day brought with it some new discovery; the early 
violets, the primroses and cowslips, the hawthorn hedges, 
the beautiful May blossoms, the increasing verdure, 
afforded us an ever-recurring source of interest. What 
a delightful season spring is ! One almost feels as if the- 
world were created afresh. I have never enjoyed an ex- 
cursion so much before, and am sure it is only that we 
have now learnt not merely to observe the wonders sur- 
rounding us, but to acknowledge them with gratitude, a& 
the work of our Heavenly Father. 

Aunt. I am very glad to find that you so thoroughly 
enter into my feelings, my dear children; your remark 
respecting the spring is very appropriate, for with its 
first appearance, the world does indeed seem to awaken 
to renewed life — it is in truth the resurrection of nature,, 
from the grave of winter ; but has it ever struck you that 
the four seasons may very aptly be compared to the eras 
of human life? This I should tell you is quite a hack- 
neyed simile, still it is more than probable that you may 
have neither heard nor observed on it. 

Jacoh. We certainly have not, and I must confess I 
do not exactly see how the comparison can be carried 
out. 

Aunt. I do not think we shall find it very diflicult,, 
but perhaps it would be advisable, in order to maintain 
the parallel clearly in our minds, that we should select 
some object in vegetable nature in conjunction with man, 



THE SEASONS. 187 

and thus trace their respective courses under the influ- 
ence of the four seasons — say a tree_, for example. With 
the first balmy breath of springs the dried chip becomes 
imbued with life; as you have just observed^ the buds 
gradually form, appear, expand, and burst forth into 
foliage of that delicate hue, that alone belongs to the 
infancy and youth of nature. Can we not draw a parallel 
to this from the new born babe — the lisping infant — 
the joyous urchin — the ardent youth, who uncon- 
sciously disregarding the fleeting and irrecoverable period 
of innocent enjoyment, of freedom from care and toil, 
rushes onward full of eager anticipation to enter on the 
summer of life? 

Jacob. Oh_, now I see, that is manhood ! 

Aunt. Exactly so : when the youth with all his bodily 
and mental faculties developed, merges into the man, 
prepared to act his part in the drama of life, and in the 
consciousness of matured powers, to bestow in his turn 
the like fostering care on others, that served to guide his 
own inexperience. A similar transition takes place in 
outward nature. Summer witnesses the delicate foliage 
of the tree expanded to its destined size, its hues 
deepened to their apportioned tint, and its wide spread- 
ing branches affording ample shelter in their luxuriant 
verdure to the tender sapling, the humble creeper droop- 
ing beneath the burning rays of the meridian sun; the 
various vegetable productions of the earth ripen and 
yield their increase ; and all around us proclaims in this 
genial season, how lavishly our gracious God has endowed 
the world of His creation. Summer may truly be 
regarded as the zenith of life — human and vegetable. 

Ruth. This comparison is very interesting, and I should 
think we might then justly term autumn the turn of life. 

Junt. Yery rightly so, my love, for the first autumn 



188 THIRTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

breeze heralds the decay of nature ; the sickle has been 
busy with the abundant harvest; the trees borne down 
under the weight of their luscious produce, have strewn 
the ground with their over-ripe fruits ; the warm hue of 
the leaves is transformed into that peculiar brown tint^ 
the precursor of decay ; the fibres become brittle, and no 
longer withstand the attacks of the defiant breezes, which 
unrelentingly pursue their work of devastation on the 
withering foliage. And Man, how glorious is the autumn 
of his existence, when the course of a virtuous life enables 
him to hail the retrospection of past years with an un- 
sullied conscience! When his children and grand- 
children cluster around him with love and reverence, 
eager to gather from his lips the precious precepts of 
piety and wisdom, how dignified and beautiful is the 
repose of such a declining age ! Truly — 

^^ The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found 
in the way of righteousness" (Prov.xvi. 31). 

The exhausted energies, the enfeebled frame, ask not 
our pity; but as heralds of the setting sun, they appeal 
to our affection and sympathy, to cheer and support the 
cherished being through the inevitable ordeal of decay 
and extinction, that marks the transition from autumn, 
and closes the winter of human life ; always remembering 
that "• weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh 
in the morning." Unlike the repose of vegetable nature, 
which in its ivinter trance reinvigorates its powers to burst 
forth afresh in an earthly spring, the soul of man, freed 
from its mortal coil, awakens at once to eternal spring, 
in the regions of everlasting life. 

*' Oh how great is Thy goodness which Thou hast 
laid up for them that fear Thee : which Thou hast wrought 
for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men" 
(Ps.xxxi. 19). 



FIRST COMMANDMENT. 189 

Ruth. I had no idea tlie parallel could have been so 
clearly drawn out; it is a most pleasing association, and 
not likely to escape our memory; but now I think we 
are to commence our present course of discussions with 
the Ten Commandments, or Decalogue. From whence 
is this word derived. Aunt? 

Aunt. You should not apply to me, my love, when 
the young classical scholar at your side looks so important 
in his knowledge of a language that he considers far 
beyond the limited powers of poor woman's com- 
prehension. 

Jacob. You are quizzing me unmercifully, Aunt; 
however, I know sufficient of Greek to be able to tell 
you that Decalogue is derived from two words, Deca^ ten, 
and logos, precept. 

Aunt. As you are already aware of the important 
light in which we regard the Ten Commandments, esti- 
mating them as the fundamental principles of our religion, 
on w^hich all our laws are more or less based, you may 
at once recite the first, as we shall take each one under 
separate consideration. 

Jacob. ^' I am the Lord thy God who have brought 
thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of 
bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before 
me." 

Aunt. Do you perceive, my dear children, the full 
force of the declaration with which it graciously pleased 
the Lord to impress the minds of His people previous to 
proclaiming His first commandment? It is most impor- 
tant that this point should not be lightly passed over, for 
it is one of no slight magnitude ; indeed we may regard 
it as the main-spring of obedience to the whole Deca- 
logue. The awful voice of the Eternal here proclaimed 
to our forefathers, that He alone was the Almighty their 



190 THIETEENTH CONVERSATION. 

God, who liad brought them out, and delivered them 
from the bondage of Egypt; consequently He com- 
manded them — " Thou shalt have none other gods be- 
fore me/' 

"• Unto thee it was shewn that thou mightest know 
that the Lord He is God, there is none else beside Him. 
Out of heaven He caused thee to hear His voice, that 
He might instruct thee; and upon earth He shewed thee 
His great fire, and His words thou didst hear from the 
midst of the fire. And because He loved thy fathers, 
therefore He chose their seed after them, and brought 
them out in His presence with His mighty power out of 
Egypt" (Deut. iv. 35—38). 

In the first precept, so concise in its wording, so clear 
in its import, is concentrated the essence of the Jewish 
faith ; it inculcates the belief in the Divine Unity, and 
enjoins us to worship the One Sole God alone^ with 
whom no other power whatsoever is to be associated. 
The Almighty is Lord of all the earth ; He is Omnipo- 
tent and Invisible, and thus, as we noticed before, does 
He tell us through the prophet Isaiah (xlv. 5), "/am 
the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside 
me : I girded thee though thou hast not known me." 

Therefore do we understand the fundamental principle 
of our religion to be — the acknowledgment of the Unity 
of God ; for in the Eternal our Lord we neither recog- 
nise conjunction nor division, commencement nor end; 
consequently *' to Him alone we render adoration." Thus 
far we are forbidden to associate any other being with 
our worship of the Eternal ; we will now consider the 
second commandment, which we shall find extends much 
further in its prohibitions. 

Ruth. ^' Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven 
image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven 



.A 



SECOND COMMANDMENT. 191 

above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the 
water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thy- 
self to them, nor worship them; for I the Lord thy God 
am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers 
upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation 
of them that hate me, but showing mercy unto thou- 
sands of them that love me, and keep my command- 
ments." 

Independent of our being commanded not to associate 
any other being with our worship of the Almighty, we 
are in this precept expressly forbidden to render homage 
to Him under any form whatsoever, for Moses says — 

" Take ye, therefore, good heed unto yourselves (for 
ye saw no manner of figure on the day when the Lord 
-spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire), 
that you do not corrupt yourselves, and make yourselves 
a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness 
of a male or a female'^ (Deut. iv. 15 — 17). 

Aunt. The first part of this commandment contains 
~an emphatic prohibition against idolatry under any shape ; 
we neither can, nor dare ascribe any similitude to the 
Eternal; therefore are we expressly ordered not to make 
>use of any symbols that could in the slightest degree 
convey an idea of corporeity to our minds, for *' To 
whom then will ye liken God, and what likeness will 
ye compare to Him?" (Isa. xl. 18). 

We are then not only forbidden to represent the 
•Creator under any image — " You shall make yourselves 
no idols, nor rear yourselves up a graven or standing 
image, neither shall ye set up a carved stone in your land 
to bow down upon it; for I am the Lord your God'^ 
(Lev. xxvi. 1) — but we are likewise warned against wor- 
shipping Him under the form of any one work of His 
creation. 



192 THIRTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

*' And tliat tliou lift not up thine eyes unto heaven, 
and see the sun, and the moon, and the stars — all the 
host of heaven — and be misled, and bow down to them, 
and worship them" (Deut. iv. 19). 

Now, although I fervently trust that the blind ages of 
idolatry and superstition have passed away from among 
us for ever, we must not allow ourselves to rest in heed- 
less security. In order to preserve the worship of the 
One Sole God pure and intact as he has commanded 
us, we must earnestly bear in mind, that in like manner 
as we were in former years forbidden to practise any of 
the heathen rites and ceremonies, so is it incumbent on 
us now, to guard carefully against the adoption of any 
adventitious aids to worship from the customs of the 
nations among whom we dwell; for we know not how 
far we might be led on, or what encroachments and 
alterations we might in the end be induced to consider 
consonant to the spirit of our religion. Although the 
admonition that Moses addressed to the Israelites was 
intended against their adopting the iniquitous practices 
of the idolators, we should do well to apply it to our- 
selves in its general signification. 

"" Take heed to thyself that thou be not ensnared to 
follow them .... and that thou inquire not after their 
gods, saying, How did these nations use to serve their 
gods? Even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so 
unto the Lord thy God" (Deut.xii. 30, 31). 

Jacob. Would you not then call superstitious notions, 
such as a belief in signs, omens, the predictions of for- 
tune-tellers, etc., a species of idolatry, because, if we 
place any faith in them, we certainly withdraw our con- 
fidence from God, and ascribe the attribute of Omni- 
science to other than Himself? 

Aunt. Undoubtedly; any practice that leads us to 



SECOND COMMANDMENT. 193 

seek for knowledge and strength elsewhere than from 
our Heavenly Father, is, in plain language, idolatry. It 
is sinful as well as ridiculous to allow ourselves to be 
influenced by signs and portents^ which only act on our 
imagination through the mystery in which they are 
enveloped : gloss it over as we will, by believing in such 
things, we are rendering homage to some unseen, and 
certainly non-existent power; still the act is the same, it 
is idolatry. Are we not told, that the Lord " is a jealous 
God," that He will not suffer ought to be worshipped 
beside Himself? 

" And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar 
spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I 
will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him 
off from among his people" (Lev. xx. 6). 

Ruth. I do not think the latter part of this command- 
ment is quite clear to me; it does not seem to agree with 
the doctrine of Kewards and Punishments, if the sins of 
the parents are to be visited upon the children unto the 
third and fourth generation. 

Aunt. Why did you not complete the sentence, my 
love? The words, *' of them that hate me," are the 
most important, as explaining all that puzzles you. You 
will acknowledge, that to act contrary to the commands 
of God, is rather to hate^ if we may humbly copy the 
word, than to love Him; therefore we are told, that if 
the children of wicked parents follow and persevere in 
the same course, disregard His given precepts of religion 
and morality, and pay no heed to the repeated warnings 
against sin, with its consequent retribution, so earnestly 
laid before us in our Holy Law ; having no claim to the 
return of God's favour, they must bear the consequences 
of their own and their father's iniquity. Thus Moses 
prophesied unto the children of Israel — 



194 THIRTEENTH CONVERSATION. - 

" And tliey that are left of you shall pine away for 
their iniquity in the lands of your enemies, and also for 
the iniquity of their fathers with them shall they pine 
away" (Lev. xxvi.39). 

Let us not fail here to notice how pre-eminently the 
mercy of our gracious, God is displayed towards us, the 
fourth generation being named as the limit of retribution 
for sin, whereas the thousandth will share the reward of 
those who love Him, and keep His commandments. 

Jacob, But Aunt, the children of wicked parents 
may not follow their example; they may be virtuous and 
strictly obedient to the laws of God : how is it in such a 
case, will they suffer for their father's iniquity? 

Aunt. The words of Scripture will answer your in- 
quiry more effectually than any observations I could 
make on the subject. In Deut. xxiv. 16, we find — 

" The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, 
neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers : 
every man shall be put to death for his own sin.^^ 

And again: 

"As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, 
spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is 
not good among his people, surely he shall die for his 
iniquity. Yet say ye. Why, doth not the son bear the 
iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that 
which is lawful and right, all my statues he hath kept, 
and hath done them ; he shall surely live. The soul that 
sinneth shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of 
the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of 
the son ; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon 
him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon 
him" (Ezek. xviii. 18—20). 

Thus you perceive that every one is appointed to bear 
the punishment of his own sin, and that only in the 



THIRD COMMANDMENT. 195 

event of tlie children persevering in the iniquity of their 
fathers, will their retribution continue upon them. You 
may now repeat the third commandment. 

Ruth, " Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 
thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guilt- 
less that taketh His name in vain." 

Does this commandment forbid anything beyond 
swearing and cursing, which, of course, we know to be 
a sinful practice, because it causes an improper use of 
the Lord's name? 

Aunt. Yes, my love, its prohibition includes a far 
wider range than you seem at all aware of. If we but 
reflect seriously on the Divine Majesty, on the Omnipo- 
tence, the all-wise beneficence of our Almighty God, our 
hearts must unanimously respond to the praise of the 
seraphim: " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts! the 
whole earth is full of His glory^': and thus impressed 
with reverence and awe of His holy name, we shall at 
once see the sacrilege we are committing in invoking it 
for other than sacred purposes, or such as are directly 
permitted by Himself. 

Jacob. Will you then tell us when we are permitted 
to use the name of the Lord ? j 

Aunt, Firstly, in prayer and songs of praise. 

" Bless the Lord, my soul: and all that is within 
me bless His holy name" (Ps. ciii. 1). 

" give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name : 
make known His deeds among the people" {Ibid. cv. 1). 

Secondly, in studying and teaching the law. 

" Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach 
you the fear of the Lord" (Ps. xxxiv. 11). 

And, thirdly, when obliged by necessity to take an 
oath in a court of justice. 

Jacob, An oath is a strong promise, is it not? 



196 THIRTEENTH CONVERSATION". 

Aunt. It is ratKer tlie positive assertion of a fact, to 
the truth of which we call God to witness ; but only in 
extreme cases is this allowable, and then even serious 
meditation should prepare the heart for so solemn an act. 

" The Eternal thy God thou must fear, Him thou must 
worship; to Him thou must adhere, and by His name 
thou shalt swear" (Deut. x. 20). 

A vow is a strong promise to perform some act, to 
render which irrevocably binding we are permitted to 
invoke the name of .the Almighty. But awful indeed is 
the obligation we incur in so doing. Alas! for the 
unhappy being who could heedlessly undertake such a 
responsibility, regardless of the penalty of breaking faith 
with his Creator. 

" When thou shalt make a vow unto the Lord thy 
God, thou shalt not delay to pay it; for the Lord thy 
God will surely require it of thee, and it would be sin in 
thee" (Deut.xxiii.21). 

We will now look into the different signification of 
taking the Lord's name in vain, and must at once place 
the utterance of a false oath as the most prominent. To 
swear deceitfully to what we know to be untrue, calling 
upon the Lord to witness our words, involves a degree 
of sacrilege and hardihood scarcely reconcileable with 
the possession of an unclouded intellect; for with our 
belief in His Omniscience, can we delude ourselves with 
the possibility of our sin being unnoticed and unpunished? 
Are we not told — 

"You shall not swear by my name falsely, and 
thereby profane the name of thy God; I am the Lord" 
(Lev.xix.l2). 

But he, who, called upon to take an oath in a matter 
involving his own interest, steadfastly asserts the truth 
even at the cost of injury to himself, — he may indeed 



THIRD COMMANDMENT. 197 

raise Ms head in conscious rectitude, and call upon his 
Maker to bear witness to his sincerity. 

*' Whoso sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not 
— he that doeth these things shall not be moved for 
ever" (Ps.xv.4, 5). 

" He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and righ- 
teousness from the God of his salvation" (Ibid.xxiY.5). 

The utterance of the Lord^s name in the disreputable 
habit of swearing and cursing is wicked in the extreme; 
still, it is so flagrant an outrage on decency and good 
feeling, that I trust no warning is necessary to you on 
that score : but there is another error not very dissimilar 
in reality, though more innocently committed, to which 
I would direct your attention. I allude to the practice 
that pervades daily intercourse even among those habi- 
tually pious, of appealing to the Lord on every occasion. 
I am quite aware that it is heedlessly, and even uncon- 
sciously done, still I think we should not accustom 
ourselves to such familiar appeals. We should force 
ourselves to use some other interjectional exclamation, if 
such be necessary. 

Ruth. 1 cannot imagine what you mean. Aunt. 

Aunt. Have you never remarked that, on the relation 
of any unexpected piece of news, the reply has been, 
"■ You don't say so," accompanied by an appeal to the Lord, 
or " How shocking," with the same again, and so forth 
continually. Sudden terror or grief may warrant our 
calling upon our Rock and Eefuge ; but in other, ordinary 
cases, the misuse of His name is sinful. If in a matter 
where a simple affirmative or negative would be suffi- 
cient, we call upon the Lord to witness our words, we 
are guilty of breaking the third commandment; — we 
are taking His name in vain." If uttered unknowingly, 
we are irreverent in suffering it to pass our lips without 



198 THIRTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

striking on our senses; — if with intention, we are 
doubly so in daring to associate it with deceit, or 
trilling purposes. Do you now understand my allusion, 
my dear children, and that we should so revere and 
adore our Almighty Father, as to venture only to call 
upon His Holy name, on those occasions which He has 
Himself specified to us? 

Jacob. Yes, and I really thank you for explaining this 
commandment so minutely, for I was not aware how 
many serious points were included in it. Shall we now 
proceed to the fourth? 

Aunt. No, the description of the duties incumbent on 
us in our observance of the Sabbath, will occupy more 
time than we have at our disposal this evening, we will 
therefore adjourn till next week. 



t 



FOURTEENTH CONYEESATIOK 

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 

Ruth. I AM promising myself quite a treat this 
evening, as I am sure.tlie discussion of the fourth com- 
mandment will lead us on to a variety of interesting 
subjects, soT will recite it at once, 

" Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six 
days thou mayest labour and do all thy work : but the 
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: thou 
shalt not do any work thereon^ neither thou, nor thy son, 
nor thy daughter, thy man-servant^ nor thy maid-servant, 
nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger, that is within thy 
gates. For in six days the Iiord made heaven and 
earth, the sea, and all that is in them_, and rested the 
seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath 
day, and hallowed it." 

Does not the selection of the seventh day as the 
Sabbath, or day of rest, date from the creation? for in 
Genesis ii. 2 — 4, we find, — 

" God had ended, on the seventh day, His work which 
He had made, and rested on the seventh day from 
all His work which He had made. God blessed the 
seventh day, and sanctified it, because thereon He rested 
from all His work which God had created thenceforth 
to act." 

Aunt. You are quite right in assuming that tlie 



200 FOUKTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

origin of our Holy Sabbatli may be traced to the 
creation; the seventh day was then set apart and sanc- 
tified, and it is incumbent on us to regard it as the most 
sacred of all our observances, because, that not only was 
it peculiarly bestowed on us by our gracious God, for 
so were likewise our other days of rest, of holy con- 
vocation, etc.; but — 

Jacob. Oh pray excuse my interrupting you, Aunt, 
but I am sure I can discern your meaning, and I should 
so like to express it myself You would tell us that the 
ordinance of the Sabbath is more sacredly regarded than 
any other, because it is the only one that is actually 
associated with the Lord. I mean, that " He who rested 
on the seventh day from all His work which He had 
created," graciously commanded us (the chosen people 
whom He had redeemed), in the Revelation on Sinai, 
to hallow and devote the seventh day as a Sabbath of 
rest to His service, by abstaining from all manner of 
work, and reposing from the toils of the previous six 
days, in commemoration of the completion of the work 
of His creation, during that period of time, and of His 
having rested on the seventh day : thus the Lord blessed 
the seventh day, and sanctified it. 

Aunt. 1 am very pleased to find how accurately you 
have expressed my feeling on this subject; and viewing 
it in this sacred light, am sure, my dear children, you 
will agree with me in the increased importance that 
attaches to "it. 

Jacob. AVhat is our authority for believing that the 
covenant of the Sabbath was peculiarly vouchsafed to 
our nation ? 

Aunt. Having asserted the fact, I should not have 
thought you would have found it necessary to ask such 
a question ; and am sure you will stand self-convicted of 



FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 201 

liaving constantly read and repeated tlie following verses 
regardless of tlieir signification. 

" And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou 
also unto the children of Israel, saying. Verily my 
Sabbath shall ye keep : for it is a sign between me and 
you throughout your generations; that ye may know 
that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. And the 
children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the 
Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual 
covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of 
Israel for ever; for in six days the Lord made heaven 
and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was 
refreshed" (Ex. xxi. 12—14, 16—18). 

"VYe also regard the covenant of the Sabbath as a 
memorial of the departure from Egypt. 

" And remember that thou wast a servant in the land 
of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out 
thence, through a mighty hand, and by a stretched-out 
arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to 
keep the Sabbath-day^^ (Deut. v. 15). 

Ruth. When was the observance of the Sabbath first 
commanded? 

Aunt. We do not find it enjoined on us until after 
the redemption of the children of Israel from the 
bondage of Egypt; when preparatory to its being 
so stringently commanded by the mouth of God^ Moses 
was ordered to prepare the minds of the people for a 
knowledge of the Sabbath^ on the occasion of manna 
having been sent from heaven, when a miracle was per- 
formed to sanctify the seventh day in their eyes. 

" And he said unto them, this is that which the Lord 
hath said. To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath 
unto the Lord; bake that which ye will bake to-day^ and 
seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth 

p 



202 FOURTEENTH CONVERSATIOlSr. 

over lay up for you to be kept until tlie morning. And 
they laid it up till the morning as Moses bade : and it did 
not stink:_, nor was there any worm therein. And Moses 
said, Eat it to-day, for to-day is a Sabbath unto the 
Lord ; to-day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days 
ye shall gather it, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath, 
on it there shall be none" (Ex. xvi. 22 — 26). 

The observance of the Sabbath was intended to be 
held so peculiarly sacred, that we find it repeatedly 
enjoined throughout the law, and the penalty of death 
was assigned for the desecration of it, thus : — 

"Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy 
unto you; every one that defileth it shall surely be put 
to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that 
soul shall be surely cut off from among his people. Six 
days may work be done; but on the seventh is the 
Sabbath of rest ; holy to the Lord : whosoever doeth any 
work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to 
death" (/M.xxxi. 14— 16). 

And we find later, that a man having been disco- 
vered gathering sticks on the Sabbath day, was, by the 
command of the Lord, stoned to death by the whole 
congregation. 

Being now, I trustl, fully aware how strictly the ob- 
servance of the Sabbath is enjoined on us, we must next 
endeavour to understand rightly, how we are to testify 
our obedience and reverence for the sanctity of God's 
holy day. In the first place, we must absolutely refrain 
from every kind of labour — manual or mental. 

Ruth. What do you mean by mental labour, Aunt? 

Aunt. The prosecution of any studies that would oc- 
cupy the mind, and distract it from the service of God. 
Secondly, we must absolutely close all our business 
matters for the week before the eve of the Sabbath ; we 



FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 203 

must evince our confidence and faith in God, wKo lias 
promised us His blessing if we do His Will, by disre- 
garding alike the fear of loss or hope of gain. 

" Trust in the Lord and do good, so shalt thou dwell 
in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed" (Ps. xxxvii. 3). 

The Sabbath is intended as a day of entire repose, both 
for the frame and spirit; it is to be marked by a total 
cessation from all our usual pursuits, such as working, 
writing, playing on musical instruments, travelling, 
riding, etc., which although we may regard rather as 
amusements than labour, are still prohibited, as calcu- 
lated to engross our thoughts and divert them from our 
religious duties. ^Ye cannot now enumerate the parti- 
culars of what has been decided as coming under the 
head of labour ; but when you are older, you can refer 
to the Shulcan Ngaruch, edited by Rabbi Joseph Caro, 
where you will find all the necessary information on 
this subject. 

Jacob. Do you not think it was much easier for our 
ancestors to keep the Sabbath holy than it is for us in 
the present day, when there are so many more tempta- 
tions to transgress ? Besides that in former years, you 
know there was only the seventh day observed, and 
marked by a cessation from labour which of course 
gave to every one an equal chance of gain or loss, 
whereas now ive lose two days' business ? 

Aunt. My dear boy, remember always, that — 

" Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the 
upright in heart" (Ps. xcvii. 11). 

We have only to reflect, by Whom we are commanded 
to keep the Sabbath holy, to know that we are in duty 
bound to render implicit obedience, setting aside every 
calculation of loss or gain, convenience or amusement. 
I must also observe, that the ground of your argument is 



204 FOURTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

quite untenable; for granted that we are obliged to 
abstain from business on the Sunday, from its being the 
Sabbath of the country, to which rule there are however, 
many exceptions, for much is transacted among our 
working classes between themselves on that day; granted 
that your position be wholly correct, I cannot see but 
that all Jews have the same equal chance they had in the 
land of Canaan, always provided the seventh day be not 
desecrated for the purpose of gain. Xo excuse can 
either be oifered or accepted for such an infraction of our 
duty; and 1 think the following verse will sufficiently 
prove this to you ; for our forefathers, whose chief occu- 
pation was agriculture, which we all know depends 
mainly on the weather, were commanded, at every risk, 
to cease from their specified labour on the Sabbath day. 

" Six days thou shalt do work; but on the seventh 
day thou shalt rest; even in ploughing and in harvest 
thou shalt rest" (Ex. xxxiv. 21). 

Now, in order to obey this precept implicitly, we must 
not content ourselves with the outline; we must look 
into the details; and here, my dear Kuth, commences 
woman's responsibility in causing the Sabbath to be pro- 
perly sanctified and welcomed in her home. 

Ruth. To what do you refer, for I am really quite at 
a loss to imagine, Aunt? 

Aunt. I nevertheless trust you will one day personify 
my meaning, my love, for I allude to the powerful 
influence that is exercised by a truly pious woman over 
the members of her household. You little know the 
effect of witnessing an undeviating course of quiet, 
truthful, unpretending virtue; it rarely fails in holding a 
sway over the most refractory spirits, particularly if it be 
persevered in with consistency and mildness. Our 
sphere of action is the Home circle; and we need wish 



FOUKTH COMMANDMENT. 205 

for none more extended, for it embraces duties and 
obligations far more important than are generally recog- 
nised. But to return to our subject — the influence of 
woman in promoting the observance of the Sabbath in 
her home. The housekeeping department, you will 
admit, is our peculiar province, the field for the display 
of our domestic talents; and unromantic as it may sounds 
there is no doubt but that food is not only an indispensa- 
ble item to human life, but to its comfort also. Now_, 
then, should the provident care of the mistress of the 
family so arrange her household affairs beforehand_, as 
not to require any supervision on the Sabbath ; devoting 
the Friday morning to her preparations, the necessary 
provisions should be purchased and cooked ; the extra 
luxury provided in honour of the day; the various 
requisites for the toilet and table given out; the Sabbath 
lamp trimmed; the different little ornaments of the 
sitting-room dusted and brightened up, in which pleasant 
occupation the junior members of the family should 
readily join, thus causing them, from their earliest 
infancy, to distinguish the Sabbath eve from all other 
nights, from the preparations they will have always seen 
made to welcome it. Oh, what a blessing is our holy 
Sabbath ! what a soothing calm and repose is conveyed 
in that word ! You, my dear children, who know no 
other anxiety and toil than the prosecution of your 
studies, even acknowledge its influence; you anticipate 
it with delight as a season of freedom and rest ; how 
much greater, then, must its effect be on the busy 
artizan, the plodding shopkeeper, the daily labourer, the 
journeying pedlar, the hard-tasked needlewoman ! Think 
you not that the idea of the blessed Sabbath which must 
come, frequently serves to reanimate their drooping 
energies, their over spent frames — that it is the one green 



206 FOURTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

spot to wliicli tlieir longing eyes look forward tlirougK 
•the trials of tlie week? They picture to tKemselves the 
family meeting, the neat and cleanly toilet, the tidy 
room, the well swept hearth, the table covered with its 
snow-'white damask, the cup of wine for the Kidush, 
with the bread and salt in readiness for the blessing pre- 
.paratory to eating tlie first Sabbath meal, and their hearts 
gain fresh courage to endure from the prospect before 
them. Ours is a Sabbath of peace and gladness-^ — not of 
sorrow and gloom; we are to "observe it, and delight 
therein." Brothers and sisters, who from their various 
avocations have perhaps neither met nor exchanged a 
word during the week, re-assemble gladly again at home 
to enjoy the sweets of familiar intercourse. At the sound 
of the well-known knock, that announces the return 
of those who have attended the Synagogue, the chil- 
dren spring forward and cluster round their beloved 
parents, eager to receive their Sabbath blessing and 
fond embrace. Prayers having, in the mean time, been 
read aloud with devotion, by those members of the 
family circle who have not been able to join the public 
service, they all assemble round the friendly board, and 
partake, in their turn, of the cup of sanctification ; the 
master of the house previously repeating the two last 
verses we just now quoted from Exodus, and the blessing 
of the wine, concluding with a thanksgiving to the 
Lord for His goodness in causing us to inherit His holy 
Sabbath. 

Jacob, Oh, how could I be so heedless? Why, of 
course, you mean, " And the children of Israel," etc., 
which we repeat so constantly both in the Prayers and 
Kidush. 

Aunt. Just so ; and I knew you would discover it in 
time. The wine having been tasted all round, the 



FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 207 

master of tlie house then washes his hands, and cuts the 
bread, giving to each person a small piece dipped in 
salt, before eating which the blessing is said. And now 
the prescribed duties having been performed, they all 
hasten to partake of the Sabbath meal^ seasoning it with 
kindly words and joyous laughter; and at its conclusion, 
gratefully return thanks for that and all other blessings 
bestowed on them. 

Jacob. Excuse my interrupting you. Aunt, in your 
interesting description, but I should much like to know 
if the Kidush and Sabbath lamp are ordered in the law, 
as also the reason the bread is dipped in salt for the 
blessing. 

Aunt. I very readily accept your apology, my boy, 
as am only glad to find you so on the alert to notice every 
point. The Kidush is not commanded in the law; it is 
a ceremony instituted by the Rabbins in honour of the 
Sabbath : and regarding it in that light, we cannot but 
esteem it a very beautiful and impressive one. Can we 
do better than herald in our day of rest — the glorious 
gift of our God — by special marks of distinction, by re- 
peating His commands for its observance, thereby allow- 
ing no plea of ignorance to excuse neglect? The extra 
lamp lighted on the Sabbath eve likewise owns the same 
authority. Now, respecting the blessing of the bread. 
You must understand that it is for our food generally 
that we return thanks; we merely specify that article as 
being in more general consumption for human sustenance 
than any other: and the custom of dipping it in salt for 
the blessing is commemorative of the ancient sacrifices, 
when it was commanded that all our offerings should be 
seasoned with salt. Thus we find — 

" And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou 
season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the 



208 FOUETEENTH CONVERSATION. 

covenant of thy God to be lacking from tliy meat 
offering: witli all thine offerings thou shalt offer 
salt" (Lev. ii. 13). 

Ruth. We may really thank you, dear Aunt, for this 
explanation, and the delightful picture you have drawn 
of our Sabbath eve; it is one that may be equally 
realized by rich and poor : for, let the fare and position 
be ever so humble, it is in the power of all to bring 
reverence, gratitude, and cleanliness to its observance. 
But I would now ask you, if in case of anything having 
been forgotten in our purchases and preparations for the 
Sabbath, may we not remedy the omission, provided we 
do not act ourselves? 

Aunt. Decidedly not r we must neither purchase our- 
selves, nor suffer others to do so for us on the Sabbath; 
we must imagine the gates of the city to be closed, as 
they were in the days of Nehemiah. 

" And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jeru- 
salem began to be dark before the sabbath, I com- 
manded that the gates should be shut, and charged that 
they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and 
some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should 
no burden be brought in on the sabbath day" (Neh. xiii. 
19). 

Jacob. But is it wrong to partake of pleasure on the 
Sabbath if the means have been provided beforehand? 
I mean, for instance, if we have obtained tickets during 
the week for admission to a concert, oratorio, picture- 
gallery, etc., is there any harm in our attending them? 

Aunt. I scarcely like to answer your question deci- 
dedly, my boy, as I may seem presumptuously to cast a 
reproach on those undoubtedly far better informed, and 
more habitually pious than myself, who do not dis- 
approve of the practice; but I must own, that I 



FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 209 

cannot think it consonant to the spirit of the following 
verses : — 

" If thou restrain thy foot on the Sabbath day, not 
doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath 
a delightj and the holy feast of the Lord honourable^ and 
honour it by refraining from thy usual ways, from pur-, 
suing thy pleasure, and speaking vain words : then shalt 
thou find delight in the Lord, and I will cause thee to 
tread upon the high places of the earth, and I will cause 
thee to enjoy the inheritance of Jacob thy father: for the 
mouth of the Lord hath spoken it" (Is. Iviii. 13, 14). 

We have been granted six days for our own business 
and pleasure; surely we should not hesitate to devote 
the seventh unreservedly to His service, through whose 
will alone we live to do so. After our attendance at 
Synagogue, and the performance of our appointed devo- 
tions, we should accustom ourselves to make a regular 
study of certain portions of God^s Holy Word: we 
ought to strike out a course of religious reading exclu- 
sively for the Sabbath, to which we should then return 
with renewed interest every week: and having thus 
devoted the whole of the forenoon, we can then go 
abroad and contemplate the works of God in the beauties 
of nature, or read of them in moral and instructive 
works, such as travels, biographies, well-selected simple 
tales, etc., for many a precious lesson is conveyed under 
this pleasing garb. Our pursuits need not be dull, be- 
cause they are not frivolous. 

Jacob, But, Aunt, it happens so provokingly that 
most of the best amusements are fixed for Friday even- 
ing or Saturday. 

Aunt, That is certainly rather tantalising ; but still I 
think not exactly to be regretted, because if there were 
no temptation to transgress, there would be no merit in 



210 FOUETEENTH CONVEESATIOIs'. 

obedience; and I am sure you cannot for a moment 
place sucK trifling pleasures in the scale, with the satis- 
faction to be derived from having sacrificed your inclina- 
tions to your duty. Let us pray fervently, my dear 
children, that our Heavenly Father *' will open our 
hearts to the reception of His law," and will cause us to 
attain a perfect appreciation of the blessing we inherit in 
our Holy Sabbath; so that we may shrink at no sacrifice, 
by which we can testify our obedience and readiness to 
sanctify the seventh-day — the Sabbath of the Lord our 
God. 

We will now conclude for this evening, as I do not 
think our minds are prepared to discuss any other 
subject. 



FIFTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

FIFTH AND SIXTH COMMANDMENTS. 

• 

Rnth. We are literally realizing tlie attractive picture 
you drew last week, dear Aunt, of tlie comfort and 
blessing of the Sabbath eve^ which through your kind- 
ness we are enabled to spend in so interesting and 
profitable a manner. The fifth commandment next 
claims our attention, and will not, I think, require 
much explanation to ensure our obedience, for it is so 
simple in words, though impressive in meanings that I 
am sure every one must acknowledge the duty it incul- 
cates as a delight and a pleasure. 

" Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days 
may be prolonged in the land which the Lord thy God 
giveth thee." 

Aunt. This commandment, which, from the affection 
you bear your beloved parents^ my dear children, seems 
almost unnecessary to you, is, nevertheless, one of the 
utmost importance; and, as you perceive, immediately 
follows that for the observance of the Sabbath, through 
which we are taught to honour our heavenly Father. 
Now, although the relative position of parent and child 
naturally induces, with, happily, but rare exceptions, 
strong mutual affection, that is not sufiScient to carry out 
this precept. We must not only love our parents, we 



212 FIFTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

must honour and respect tliem; — second only to tKe 
reverence we pay to our God, is that we are in duty 
bound to shew them ; — they are, under His Will, our 
earthly props, the authors of our being, our natural 
guardians and protectors. In the constant love and care 
we experience from them, we scarcely realize our utter 
dependence : how from the first tottering steps of lisping 
infancy, parental love strong as adam.ant, has sought to 
shield us from every ill; nursed us in sickness, sympa- 
thised in all our childish griefs and joys, — instilled holy 
precepts into our youthful minds, and shrunk at.no self- 
sacrifice that could ensure the well-being of the beloved 
ones. The tie of parent and child is the most sacred on 
earth; and that it was intended to be so estimated by 
the Eternal, is deduced at once from Scripture, for im- 
mediately following the curses threatened against idolatry, 
we find: — 

" Cursed be he who lightly esteemeth his father or his 
mother" (Deut.xxvii. 16). 

This was the award for irreverence and disrespect 
towards a parent, — death was the penalty for the heavier 
crimes. 

" And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall 
be surely put to death. And he that curseth his father 
or his mother, shall surely be put to death" (Ex. xxi. 
15,17). 

" For every one that curseth his father or his mother, 
shall be surely put to death : he hath cursed his father or 
his mother ; his blood shall be upon him (Deut. xx. 9)." 

Jacoh. As the Israelites were, on the delivery of the 
Law, scarcely freed from the influence of the Egyptians, 
to whose iniquitous practices they had so long been 
accustomed, I suppose these heinous crimes were men- 
tioned in case such an extraordinary event as their com- 



FIFTH COMMANDMENTS. 213 

mittal should by possibility occur; besides, tbat tbe 
extremity of the punishment awarded to the sinner 
should strike them with horror, and impress them with 
the enormity of such acts ; for it is hardly possible they 
could have been contemplated as probable; that any 
human being could sin so monstrously; the idea is too 
revolting; it turns one's blood cold to imagine such a 
thing. 

Aunt. I will not say your feelings are praiseworthy, 
for they are only right, and such as all should entertain, 
my boy; and your surmise of the precautionary nature 
of the laws we have named is so far right, that we have 
reason to believe there were but few instances of their 
having been enforced in Palestine: such blots on human 
nature were, and, I trust, are rare among us, if not 
totally obliterated; still, though shrinking with horror 
from the extreme crime, I fear there are but too many 
who do not recognise the command to " honour our 
parents/' in its full signification. As I said before, 
it suffices not that we love them, that is merely the 
effect of natural instinct; we must honour and reverence 
them as a duty impressed on us by our God. 

" Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father, 
and keep my Sabbaths; I am the Lord your God" 
(Lev. xix. 3). 

And how are we to evince this duty towards our 
parents? How are we to testify our reverence and lovefor 
them? Surely by paying obedience to their commands, 
by yielding to their opinions and wishes, even if con- 
travening our own inclinations, — by respecting their 
prejudices. 

*' Hearken unto thy father that begot thee, and despise 
not thy mother when she is old" (Prov. xviii. 22). 

It is true that every succeeding age has its peculiar 



214 FIFTEENTH CONVEKSATION. 

views and improvements, and undoubtedly much that was 
appropriate and good in its day would be out of place 
now; still, when not actually wrong or injurious, the 
customs of our fathers should be honoured; even if it be 
no longer advisable or practicable to follow them, they 
should at least be so far respected, as to be safe from the 
shafts of irreverent ridicule. How much more to be 
admired, is the child who Avill have the moral courage 
to brave the world^s laugh, by persevering in some good 
old practice of a parent, than he, or she, who will seek 
to obliterate by new-fashioned ways all remembrance of 
"the ancient landmark !" Persons w^ho act thus for- 
get that, in so doing, they tacitly proclaim themselves 
ashamed of the authors of their being. How beautifully 
are we exhorted : — 

" My son, keep the commandment of thy father, and 
forsake not the law of thy mother; bind them con- 
tinually upon thy heart, and tie them about thy neck. 
When thou goest, it shall lead thee ; when thou sleepest, 
it shall guard thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk 
with thee" (Prov. vi. 20—22). 

Ruth. This verse does indeed, teach us how we ought 
to value and cherish the precious precepts of our parents, 
to whom a lifetime of love and gratitude can scarcely 
repay their unceasing care; but I would now ask you 
what would be our duty, if obedience to a parentis com- 
mands obliged us to disregard any of the laws of God ? 

Aunt, I trust most sincerely my love, that but few 
such instances occur, and that it may never be your lot 
to experience so sad a trial, but there can be no doubt in 
the matter ; the commands of God supersede all others : 
to our Heavenly Father we owe our first obedience, and 
if unhappily, after strict investigation, we find we may 
not reconcile it, to that due to our earthly parents, we 



FIFTH COMMANDMENTS. 215 

must render " honour unto the Lord ;" even then, how- 
ever, our refusal to act contrary to his dictates, should be 
softened by persuasion and arguments, urged with respect 
and tenderness. When, alas ! if all our efforts prove 
fruitless, we must then pursue the line of duty marked 
out for us on High, trusting in God^s gracious promise, 
" to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and 
the heart of the children to the fathers.^^ But we will 
now gladly turn from this painful subject, to the more 
cheering one of love and duty, afforded by the picture of 
the aged parents being supported and cherished in their 
declining years by their affectionate children. How 
beautiful is it to behold the drama of life thus reversed ! 
the child become the prop and stay on which the parent 
leans: guiding the tottering steps, and delighting in 
performing all those tender offices, so sweet to render 
to those revered ones, who have been on earth our best 
and truest friends; for, my dear children, a parentis love 
is indeed unfathomable: deformity, affliction, misfor- 
tunes, even guilt and shame, but call it forth the more, 
to shield, heal, succour, and comfort; it is nature's 
holiest and sweetest bond, and as such must be held 
inviolably sacred. 

Jacoh. Does not this commandment likewise incul- 
cate honour and respect to all aged persons? It strikes 
me so, because, as of course our grand-parents are in- 
cluded in the command to *' honour our parents," a 
reverence for age generally seems the natural conse- 
quence. 

Aunt. You are quite right, and will, I trust, ever 
retain this impression, shewing your appreciation of it, 
by all those little attentions which it is the duty of the 
young to render to the old. 

" Before a hoary head thou shalt rise up, and honour 



216 FIFTEENTH CONVEESAnON. 

the face of an old man, and fear thy God; I am the 
Lord" (Lev. xix. 32). 

And now we will, I think, proceed to the sixth com- 
mandment, trusting that your conduct through life may 
be such as will ever entitle you to claim your parents' 
blessing, and that when removed from this world to their 
" home of bliss," the remembrance of their precepts and 
wishes^ will serve to shield you from evil, so that you 
may unceasingly have cause to bless the command, to 
" Honour thy father and thy mother." 

Ruth. The sixth commandment is, '^ Thou shalt not 
commit murder." This precept, although short, is so 
clear, that even the most ignorant need not to ponder on 
its meaning. No one can entertain a doubt, but that 
actual killing, or taking away the life of a fellow -creature, 
is here forbidden ; we know that God will surely " require 
it at our hands," if we commit this dreadful crime. Cain 
was made a fugitive and vagabond on the earth, because 
he had slain his brother Abel; and after the flood, the 
Lord said unto Xoah and his sons : — 

*' And surely your own blood will I require; of every 
beast will I require it, and at the hand of man ; yea, at 
the hand of every man will I require the life of man his 
brother" (Gen. ix.) 

Aunt. Your interpretation of this command is quite 
correct as far as you have gone ; but I scarcely think 
you are aware that its prohibition extends far beyond 
murder in its general acceptation. Suicide or self- 
destruction, the infliction of wanton injury on either 
human being or animal, as well as indirect murder, are 
acts all included in its dictates. We have already 
recognised that God has made man *' in His own image," 
by endowing him with a living spirit or soul, therefore 
has He commanded us to reverence the work of His 



SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 217 

creation, forbidding us either to slay anotlier^ pur- 
posely and witK evil intent, or to take away our own 
lives. 

Jacob. What are we to understand by indirect mur- 
der? Does it mean killing a person accidentally; such. 
for instance, as by the unexpected discharge of a gun, 
giving wrong medicine, etc. 

Aunt. No ; were such a dreadful misfortune to befall 
us (for, with the most innocent feelings, to deprive a 
fellow-creature of life must be estimated as such), we 
might stiU, knowing our intentions to have been pure 
and free from evil, implore the pardon, and trust in the 
mercy and omniscience of our Heavenly Father, "who 
trieth the reins and the heart"; but I allude to the 
object of the following verses : — 

" If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto 
death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou 
sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not He that pon- 
dereth the heart consider it f and He that keepeth thy 
soul, doth not He know it ? and shall not He render 
to every man according to his works?" (Prov. xxiv. 
11—13.) 

If knowing a fellow being to be in a position of dan- 
ger, from either an untoward accident, illness, or the 
malicious designs of an enemy; if with the powder to 
render assistance we restrain our hand, turn aside, and 
neglect to give him timely warning, should evil befall 
our brother, would not the sin rest at our door, would 
not his blood rise up against us as his passive mur- 
derers? It matters not that we try to satisfy our con- 
science by the vain excuse, that it was not our business ; 
it is our business, our duty, to do all that lies in our 
power, whether to relative or stranger, to prevent the 
extinction of the breath of life. Do not misunderstand 

Q 



218 FIFTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

me, my dear cliildren ; when it pleases the Almighty to- 
withdraw it^ we must yield ourselves to His will un- 
repiningly; but I would impress on your minds, that 
we are strictly forbidden under this Commandment, to 
allow ourselves to be accessory to hastening its departure, 
either by acts of commission, or sins of omission. 

Jacob. But, Aunt, if sentence of death be passed on 
a criminal^ in a court of justice, it is not then sinful to 
execute it? 

Aunt. Not if the decision be made in accordance 
with the Law ; thus we find : — 

"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood 
be shed; for in the image of God made He man" 
(Gen. ix. 6). 

" He that smiteth a man that he die, shall surely be 
put to death" (Ex. xxi. 12). 

But even then, only after the strictest enquiry into the 
matter, was it permissible; for to annihilate or make 
nought, that which God has created, is assuming so 
solemn and awful a responsibility, that it was com- 
manded that no judgment should be rendered on the 
report of one witness alone. 

" At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses, 
shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at 
the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death '^ 
(Deut. xvii. 6). 

But what feelings can that man have, who, impelled 
by deadly hatred, will designedly rush on a fellow-crea- 
ture, recklessly dealing that blow, that will hurry the 
spirit into the presence of his outraged Maker, there to 
call down vengeance on his destroyer! To murder 
another in cold blood, with deep-laid design, would argue 
a total denial of the existence of a God ; and such might, 
perhaps, have been the unholy boast of the hardened 



SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 219 

sinner, before tKe committal of the crime ; but, from the 
dread moment that witnessed the irrecoverable deed, 
face to face with the dead, the awful Majesty of God 
confronts him ; he shrinks, but cannot escape from the 
All-seeing Eye, that pierces into the inmost recesses of 
his blackened heart; and though he may strive to shake 
off the wretched feeling that excites his nerves almost 
to frenzy, laughing discordantly at his cowardly un- 
founded fears (as he would fain believe them), a sense of 
the reality, of the certainty of future retribution, bows 
his spirit to the dust. He seeks by every precaution to 
conceal every vestige of his crime from earthly ken ; for 
he has thus acted, knowing full well the penalty from 
justice that awaits discovery; and perhaps for years, or 
even during his life-time, it may be the will of the 
Almighty that the bloody secret remain undivulged; 
but not for that is he at ease ; every moment brings its 
attendant terrors; for "The wicked flee when no man 
pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion " (Pro v. 
xxviii. 1). "The iron has entered into his soul,^' the 
murderer's brand is on his brow; if not literally so_, the 
downcast eye, that dares not meet the steady gaze of 
conscious innocence, the sudden start, the quivering lip, 
each in its turn proclaims a mind ill at ease. So awful is 
this consciousness of guilt, that we frequently read in- 
stances in the public journals of crimes, which, unknown 
and unsuspected for years, have been suddenly divulged 
by the wretched criminal; who, no longer able to bear 
the agonizing reproaches of his conscience, voluntarily 
surrenders himself to justice, preferring to meet the 
punishment he knows will be awarded him, and which 
he has hitherto sought to escape, rather than to con- 
tinue enduring the living death, caused by the secret 
remorse that preys unceasingly on his heart. 



220 FIFTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

Ruth. How very dreadful sucli a state of mind must 
be ! Does it not sometimes induce the murderer to com- 
mit suicide? I think I have read of such instances. 

Aunt. Yes, my love ; not content with the one fearful 
sin, he frequently completes the measure of his crimes, 
by rushing unbidden into the presence of his offended 
God; totally forgetting that he is aggravating the evil 
he seeks to escape ; for if he cannot bear the reproaches 
of his own conscience, how will he be able to meet 
the dread anger and majesty of his Creator, whom he 
has doubly outraged in his twofold crime? Suicide, or 
self-destruction, is a deadly sin; it is but another form 
of murder, as it equally extinguishes that vital spark 
which God has kindled in the breast of the being whom 
He has made in His own *'image/^ 

Jacob. I do not mean to excuse the act, Aunt, but 
does it not make a difference, that the consequences of 
suicide fall only on one's self, whereas the murderer in- 
flicts injury on a fellow-creature? 

Aunt. As regards the safety and comfort of society, 
it certainly does; but the actual sin of extinguishing 
life remains the same. It is very easy to say, my life is 
my own^ and no one ivill suffer hut myself if I destroy it. 
But has man been invested with such power over his 
being? Surely not; do we not find in the verse Euth 
quoted just now, that God said unto Noah, "And surely 
the blood of your lives will I require." We have been 
sent into this world for a special purpose, to work out 
God's holy will, which we know can only be for our 
ultimate good: we have been invested with no control 
over our lives, and are therefore not authorized to curtail 
one step of our appointed course; in His own time will 
the Lord remove us from this world, and until he thinks 
fit to do so, we must strive earnestly to fulfil our duty. 



SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 221 

praying for strengtli and resignation to submit under the 
trials He may tliink fit to send us. Surely there is more 
real courage in such faithful endurance of affliction^ than 
in the act of self-destruction: the one course we must 
expect, from its hardened effrontery, will meet retribu- 
bution in the world of Heaven_, to which the sinner has 
recklessly hurried himself; the other will surely find its 
own reward, for we are told — 

"Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your 
heart, all ye that hope in the Lord " (Ps. xxxi. 24). 

Now, my dear children, before we conclude this sub- 
ject^ having shewn you the enormity of the crime for- 
bidden by the sixth commandment, I should very much 
like you to discover, and thoroughly understand the 
cause that originates this awful sin ; and as it involves 
one of the greatest principles of Judaism, I think you will 
not object, if our discussion be rather more lengthened 
than usual. 

Ruth. You may be quite sure of our consent, Aunt, 
for we are only too glad to prolong our interesting con- 
versation. However, I cannot imagine to what you 
refer; I should think anger, hatred, and envy, the most 
likely qualities to cause the committal of murder. 

Aunt. And you have judged very correctly my love; 
but to go still further back, how is it these passions gain 
power over us? 

Jacob. Is it because we do not trust in God? 

Aunt. That is decidedly the root of the matter, 
because if we do reverence Him as we ought, and 
trusted in His word, we should make it the study of 
our lives to pay obedience to the one great precept, 
the spirit of which pervades every dictate of our Holy 
Law. " Love thy neighbour as thyself," is the golden 
rule by which we are commanded to regulate our lives. 



222 FIFTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

Jacob, Why, Aunt, I have heard this, with the 
command to forgive our enemies, called Christian 
precepts. 

Aunt. I am well aware, my dear boy, that Christians 
arrogate the institution of the latter to the founder of 
their faith; but while freely and conscientiously con- 
ceding, that they are both inculcated and practised by 
many virtuous and pious persons among them, I cannot 
for a moment suffer you to remain in error, as to the 
source from whence they have been taken and grafted 
on their law; for in the sermon that he preached to 
his followers on the mount, he says, " Ye have heard 
that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbour, 
and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your 
enemies, bless them that curse you^ and pray for them 
which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Now 
to say that we were commanded to hate our enemies, is 
such a curious misconception, that it seems either the 
result of gross ignorance, or wilful misrepresentation. 
We may defy any one to find a word in our Holy Law 
to that effect: to the contrary, are we not told? — 

*^If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going 
astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If 
thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under 
his burden, and wouldst forbear to help him, thou shalt 
surely help with him " (Ex. xxviii. 4 — 6). 

In Prov. xxiv. 12, we read: — 

" Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not 
thine heart be glad when he stumbleth." And xxv. 21 — 

"If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat, 
and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink." 

Is not this teaching us to return good for evil? 
again — 

" Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart; 



SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 223 

tKou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not 
suiFer sin upon bim " (Lev. xix. 17). 

Ruth. Does not tbis mean, tbat if we see a person 
wbom we dislike, or wbo has acted unkindly by us, 
doing wrong, and we can shew bim bis sin, and lead 
bim rigbt, it is our duty to assist bim to tbe utmost of 
our power? 

Aunt, Certainly; but we must be careful to point 
out bis error mildly, without triumphing over him, or 
in our own superior goodness, or we shall still fail in 
carrying out the precious precept, '^to love thy neigh- 
bour as thyself.^' 

'' Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against 
the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord " {Ihid. 1 8) . 

And lest we should fall into the error of supposing 
that only the children of our own people are included in 
this command, we are enjoined — 

" And if a stranger sojourn with thee in thy land, 
ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth 
among you shall be unto you as one born among you, 
and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers 
in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God'' 
(/^f^. 33— 35). 

And as a proof that this precept was understood and 
acted on, we find in Solomon's prayer at the dedication 
of the temple — 

" Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy 
people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy 
name's sake; (For they shall hear of thy great name, 
and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched-out arm;) 
when he shall come and pray toward this house; Hear 
thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to 
all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all the 



224 FIFTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

people of the earth may know thy name,, to fear thee^ 
as do thy people of Israel; and that they may know 
that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy 
name" (1 Kings viii. 41 — 44). 

^' Love thy neighbour as thyself" is a precept of uni- 
versal benevolence, not confined to nation or country. 
And now we must see if we understand how to practise 
it in detail, for a general love of one's fellow-creatures 
is not sufficient, if not carried into the minutiae of 
life. 

Jacob, As ''^Eome was not built in a day," and 
" small beginnings make great endings/' I should say that 
we ought to commence being taught from infancy, to 
practise forbearance and kindness towards each other. 
Little children can be very selfish and unkind I know 
from experience, for Euth and I had many a quarrel, 
and I am ashamed to say pitched battle, for the pos- 
session of our respective toys; but our dear mother 
always obliged us to yield to each other even in the 
merest trifles^ until at last it became a habit and plea^ 
sure to do so. 1 remember especially one day that I 
had taken up my hard ball to throw at Ruth, in a fit 
of passion, she was happily just in time to stay my 
hand ; when, after pointing out how wicked I had been 
in allowing such evil feelings to govern me, she made 
me return thanks to God, for His mercy in permitting 
her to be present, and in time to save me from the pro- 
bable chance of killing my sister ; for, had the ball struck 
her on the temple, it might have done so, or have in- 
jured her seriously. Oh, it was dreadful! and yet I 
really loved you so dearly, Ruth, all the time, only 
passion mastered me; it made such an impression on 
my mind, that I am afraid of yielding to the least im- 
pulse of anger. 



SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 225 

Aunt. I remember the circumstance perfectly, my 
boy, and am truly thankful for the beneficial results to 
your character. You were, as a child, violent and pas- 
sionate in the extreme ; and I have since then watched 
with grateful pleasure the frequent struggles you have 
made to command yourself. Persevere, and you will 
succeed : remember that, " He that is slow to anger, is 
better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit, 
than he that taketh a city^^ (Prov. xvi. 32). 

If on the first impulse of anger, we were resolutely 
to force ourselves to remain silent, we should find that 
after a few moments' reflection our pulses would be 
lowered, our rage lessened, if not entirely spent, and we 
should then, perhaps, take quite a different view of the 
subject that excited us: we must remember that it re- 
quires two parties to make a quarrel, and that " A soft 
answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir 
up anger " (Prov. xv. 1.) 

The late celebrated surgeon, and good, benevolent 
man Sir Astley Cooper, said once to a friend of mine : 
" My dear, take my advice; if you are very angry with 
a person, avoid telling him so at the time, but write 
down your feelings in a letter over night; — do not 
send it — keep it till the morning to read over — when 
you will throw it in the fire. And so it is ; anger when 
suppressed will extinguish itself. 

Ruth. Aunt, what a nice anecdote ! I am sure we 
shall not forget it easily ; but now what are the next 
duties included in loving our neighbours as our- 
selves ? 

Aunt. In the same manner as we would wish good 
to be done to us, so must we do it unto our neighbour ; 
we must share our wealth with those who are in want; 
and if we even are not sufl5ciently favoured by fortune 



226 FIFTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

to have money to give away, kindly offices, sympathy, 
cheering words, are always within our power: for — 

" Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the 
soul, and health to the bones " (Prov. xxi. 24). 

Little do we know the value that the poor affix to a 
kind word — to genuine sympathy; it is more to them 
than coin; they live on the remembrance of it; it 
unites them to their thriving brethren ; whereas a golden 
gift accompanied by careless or harsh words, may com- 
pel the homage of the lips, while the heart, bleeding 
from its loneliness, will refuse its meed of thanksgiving. 
I cannot refrain, my dear children, from relating a little 
incident that occurred to me, about a twelvemonth after 
my beloved brother Alexander (may his soul rest in 
peace) left England, at the age of fifteen. Walking in 
the City, I was one day suddenly accosted by a decrepid 
old apple- woman, who, begging me to excuse the 
liberty, asked after my dear brother, and whether he 
was coming home. I did not at first recognise her, but 
afterwards remembered having seen her at a stall with 
a deformed child. Upon my readily answering her 
inquiries, and asking what she knew of him, she burst 
out with all the heart-stirring eloquence of the Irish — 
*^ Sure, my lady, isn't he the darlint of every poor 
body? May the God in heaven bless and prosper him ! 
The sight of his beautiful eyes was jist like the sunshine 
on a rainy day ; didn't we watch for him twice a day as 
he came from school? Not for the pence he spent in 
fruit, but for the kind words he always had for the poor; 
and didnH he help my poor lame boy across the road 
out of the way of a cart; and then push my stand in 
the corner? Sure niver a bit of pride lived in his heart, 
the darlint ! All the poor bodies in the neighbourhood 
knew the colour of his money, and his kind words. 



SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 227 

May God bless him witli the best of blessings ; and you 
too, my lady, for his sake ! " 

And this grateful creature's prayers have indeed been 
answered, for my angel brother was called to blessings 
imperishable — was removed from this world at the age 
of twenty-one years, in all his purity and innocence, 
unscathed by sin, and untouched by the trials of the 
world: he was, by the mercy of God, " taken from the 
evil to come;" and I can wish you nothing better, than 
that you may be as justly able to challenge the same 
exalted testimony to virtue, as I am proud to say would 
be rendered by all who knew him. 

Jacob. I shall indeed strive to follow his example, 
for he must have fully realised the precept, '' to love 
thy neighbour as thyself." And how proud and happy 
you must have felt on hearing this ! 

Auni. I did indeed, my boy; and the remembrance 
of it always sends a glow to my heart. But we must 
now begin to draw to a conclusion, and as the later 
commandments will give us occasion to refer again to 
this precept, 1 will now only beg you to observe, that 
if we would fully carry out its dictates, we must learn 
to judge kindly of each other's actions and motives, we 
must judge others as we would ourselves be judged, or 
rather, I should say, as we would judge ourselves; and 
then we may be sure the measure of mercy will be com- 
plete. "When it is in our power to render assistance to 
a fellow-being, it is our duty to do so without calculating 
on any return. 

" Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, 
when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not 
unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to-morrow 
I will give; when thou hast it by thee" (Prov. iii. 
27—29). 



228 FIFTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

And as regards the commandment under discussion, 
we may neither strike, maim, nor otherwise injure our 
neighbour; nor wantonly torture and kill animals or 
insects^ for the breath of life, whether in human-kind 
or the brute creation, is equally the gift of the Almighty, 
and as such should be respected. Let us, then, earnestly 
endeavour to understand and practise the great principle 
of Judaism, '^ to love thy neighbour as thyself"; and if 
we succeed in doing so to the utmost of our will and 
power, we shall surely find our efforts blessed, and shall 
at the same time insure a safeguard against being led 
away by our evil passions, to break the commandment — 
" Thou shalt do no Murder." 



SIXTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

SEVENTH AND EIGHTH COMMANDMENTS. 

Aunt. 1 HAVE no doubt you are surprised to find 
tKat the discussion of tlie commandments occupies so 
many evenings, my dear children ; but as the ground- 
work of our faithj in the various subjects they embrace, 
we are, in fact, studying the principles and spirit of 
Judaism; and although we may occasionally find it 
necessary to diverge from the direct point under con- 
sideration, I think on the whole, it will be more in- 
teresting to seize and dilate on an idea as it arises in 
our minds, than to reserve the several precepts for a 
distinct conversation. We will now consider the seventh 
commandment — 

*' Thou shalt not commit adultery." 

By this we are taught to reverence the holy covenant 
of marriage, entered into between man and wife in the 
presence of the Lord; and are forbidden to violate its 
sanctity by immoral conduct, for the award of such an 
act in our law is death. 

I do not think you are acquainted with Solomon^s 
description of a virtuous, industrious woman; it holds 
forth such a valuable example, that I think I must read 
it to you; and although some of the occupations men- 
tioned are not exactly applicable to the present day, we 



230 SIXTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

can advance no tangible reason why the same spirit 
should not actuate us in the performance of the several 
duties for which we are responsible. 

*' Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is 
far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely- 
trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She 
■will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 
She seeketh wool and flax^ and worketh willingly with 
her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bring- 
eth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet 
night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion 
to her maidens. She considereth a field and buyeth it : 
with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. 
She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth 
her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good : 
her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her 
hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She 
stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth 
forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of 
the snow for her household: for all her household are 
clothed with scarlet. She worketh herself coverings of 
tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband 
is known in the gates, where he sitteth among the elders 
of the land. She worketh fine linen and selleth if, and 
delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and 
honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time 
to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom ; and in 
her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to 
the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of 
idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; 
her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters 
have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Fa- 
vour is deceitful, and beauty is vain ; but a woman that 
feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of 



SEVENTH AND EIGHTH COMMANDMENTS. 231 

the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise 
her in the gates" (Prov. xxxi. 10 — 31). 

Ruth. Why, Aunt, this exactly applies to what you 
were telling me the other day, of the value and influence 
of a virtuous woman. How I pray that I may grow up 
to answer this description in its general meaning ! 

Aunt. If you will resolve earnestly and sincerely to 
conquer your chief fault — vanity, I have every hope, 
my love, that you will be assisted in your efforts, and 
that in time we shall have the pleasure of seeing you 
all we can desire; but in order to accomplish this, you 
must make up your mind steadily to face the truth — to 
recognise that the possession of mere beauty reflects no 
merit upon you. It is undoubtedly true that you have 
a pleasing exterior, with pretty, regular features, and 
may become in the lapse of years what the world terms 
handsome; but I see not how you can arrogate any 
praise to yourself on that score. Beauty is not a virtue 
or a talent, that you have taken pains to cultivate, it is 
a gift from the Almighty, which may at any moment be 
withdrawn — witness the direful effects of the small- 
pox; and at the best, it is but a transitory possession, to 
which Time is a ruthless foe; therefore, my dear child, 
let us pray to be strengthened to resist the temptation of 
setting store by such a fleeting frivolous advantage; let 
us rather seek to lay up treasures of virtue and piety, 
which, if carefully guarded, will remain with us till the 
last hour of our existence, retaining the same imperish- 
able lustre. Now, my boy, repeat the eighth command- 
ment. 

Jacob. " Thou shalt not steal." I can foresee that this 
will prove another long, interesting, discussion, for it 
must include a variety of subjects; for instance, robbery 
on the broad scale, theft and dishonesty under their 



232 SIXTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

different forms, deceit and trutli are all connected with 
each other. 

Aunt. Well, since you have laid out the programme, 
you cannot do better than commence with your defini- 
tion of this impressive command. 

Jacob. To possess ourselves dishonestly of property 
belonging to another, is termed robbery or theft, accord- 
ing to the manner and magnitude of the act, and is one 
of the greatest crimes we can commit; it is held in 
detestation, and severely punished by the laws of almost 
every country; and to the detected thief is attached a 
stigma and disgrace from which no after-repentance can 
entirely free him. 

Auni. Perhaps not in this world, though a steady 
course of principle will even work its way here in time, 
if persevered in with humility and earnest sincerity; but 
we must not forget that the sinner mai/ hope to obtain 
the forgiveness of his Creator, by testifying an entire 
repentance and return to virtue; for — 

" The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken- 
heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit" (Psa. 
xxxiv. 18). 

*' Thou shalt not steal." How much is comprehended 
within these simple words! This precept teaches us, 
that we must not only shrink from acts of open dis- 
honesty, but that we must likewise abstain from fraud 
even in its most trifling details, and must keep our con- 
science clear and unsullied from deceit or falsehood : we 
are thus exhorted in our holy law — "Ye shall not 
steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another . . . 
Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him; 
the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee 
all night until the morning'^ (Lev. xix. 11 — 13). 

I need scarcely urge much against the open committal 



SEVENTH AND EIGHTH COMMANDMENTS. 233 

of robbery, such as depriving a person of bis property by 
violence on tbe highway, etc.; for it is so flagrant a 
<;rime, and brings with it such serious consequences when 
discovered, that it at once speaks its own condemnation ; 
but there are unhappilly too many other ways in which 
actual theft is successfully practised, to which we must 
now particularly give our attention. 

" Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in 
meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just 
weights, a just ephah, and a just hin shall ye have; I 
am the Lord your God, who have brought you out of 
the land of Egypt." {Ibid. 35—37.) 

This injunction is equally addressed to the wholesale 
merchant, as to the retail shopkeeper, or travelling huck- 
ster : it tells us that we must not let our greedy desire of 
gain tempt us to defraud our customers by either giving 
short weight or measure, or articles of an inferior quality 
;to what we profess to sell for a certain price; for "A 
false balance is abomination to the Lord; but a just 
weight is His delight^^ (Pro v. xi. 1). 

It is true, that the deception may be so skilfully prac- 
tised as to elude discovery at the time, and may even 
be repeated again and again ; but it very rarely remains 
undetected in the end, when the sinner will find that his 
ill-gotten gains afford but poor compensation for the dis- 
grace, shame, and even pecuniary loss that will accrue to 
him as the consequence of his dishonesty; for all con- 
fidence in his good faith being lost, if in a situation, he 
will be thrown out of employment and most probably 
continue so ; if doing business on his own account, he will 
find a sad deficiency in his receipts; for there are but 
few persons who will run the risk of either employing, or 
liaving any transactions with one known to be unfair in 
his dealings. Thus far we have seen that even in a 

R 



234 SIXTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

worldly point of view " Honesty is the best policy;" but^ 
now, supposing that we succeed in our system of fraud 
undetected, and exultingly mark down in our ledger tbe 
extra profits we have thus unlawfully acquired; can we 
forget that there is One on High unceasingly watching 
us, by whom our every act is being registered in His 
book of rewards and punishments? Alas, for our credit 
at the awful day of reckoning ! 

Ruth. But, Aunt, do you not think that the buyer is^ 
also sometimes equally guilty, in saying that an article is 
not so good as it really is, for the sake of getting it 
cheaper ?. 

Jacob. That is all nonsense, Kuth; every one has a 
right to do the best he can for himself, and to purchase 
at the cheapest place: it is a mere matter of business. 

Aunt. Thus far you are right, that if articles of equal 
value are sold at a lower cost by one person than by an- 
other, you have an undoubted right, as you say, to act as 
you may consider most advantageous to your own interest r 
but it is decidedly dishonest and mean in the extreme ta 
depreciate the worth of a thing for the sake of getting it 
at a lower rate. ^^ It is naught, it is naught, saith the 
buyer : but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth'* 
(Prov. XX. 14). 

If we would but face the truth, that the buyer in 
depreciating the value of an article, knowing its real 
worth, is equally guilty of theft with the seller who 
gives short weight, I think the habit of making bar- 
gains would be discontinued. 

Jacob. But, Aunt, every one cannot afford to pay 
high prices for things, how are we to manage then? 

Aunt. I am quite aware of that, but there is a good old 
saying, that you must '^ cut your coat according to your 
cloth,'' to which, if we only paid attention, we should 



SEVENTH AND EIGHTH COMMANDMENTS. 235 

be both happier and more respected. We must bo 
content to live within our means, and then we shall 
not need to take an unfair advantage of our neighbour; 
we must learn to admire things beyond our reach, and 
to resist the temptation of seeking to grasp them ; always 
remembering, that if we even succeed in obtaining 
them, if unsuitable to our position or circumstances, we 
may also succeed in personifying " the jackdaw with pea- 
cock^s feathers." 

Ruth. Oh, now I see the reason, why you would not 
be persuaded to purchase that beautiful flounced dress for 
ten guineas, like Miss Elliot's. 

Aunt. I am glad you have discovered it ; for I think 
you both gave me credit for being rather stingy at the 
time; but you know that Miss Elliot's parents are very 
wealthy; therefore must perceive that what is only suit- 
able in her circumstances, would be not only ridiculous, 
but sinful extravagance in mine; as by such an unne- 
cessary outlay on one dress, I should be depriving my- 
self of the power of adding to the contents of my poor- 
box, besides incurring a host of extra expenses, which 
would oblige me, probably, to relinquish some real gra- 
tification. 

Ruth. I do not see that, why what more would you 
have required? 

Aunt. There lies the root of the evil, my love; we 
scarcely ever look beyond the present point of our 
wishes, and are therefore constantly plunged into un- 
foreseen difficulties from the mere want of calculation^ 
Now this fine dress for the sake of consistency, would 
not have been content to stand alone in its glory; it 
must have had a handsome lace collar and sleeves, suit- 
able mantle and bonnet, with all the little accompani- 
ments befitting an elegant toilette ; so that I think my 



236 SIXTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

purse would have looked rather foolish after satisfying 
all demands. We should always remember that what is 
only becoming the position of a wealthy person, would 
be pretension in one of moderate circumstances; and 
there is nothing I despise more than the petty feeling that 
orglnates the striving to seem^ and not to be. It is the 
contrast of the real and false diamond : the lustre of the 
former will display itself even in a cotton dress; the 
latter will be dim in a robe of satin. But now to re- 
sume our subject, we are further warned in aur law, 
that— 

'^ If a person sin and commit a trespass against the 
Lordj and lie unto his neighbour in that which was de- 
livered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken 
away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour; or 
hath found that which was lost, and lleth concerning it 
and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man 
doeth sinning therein'' (Lev. vi. 2 — 4), we are told that 
the sinner shall first make full restitution, adding one- 
fifth to the principal as a compensation to the suflferer, 
and sball then bring a trespass-offering to the Lord. 
Although the consequences of our dispersion prevent the 
full tenor of the law being observed, it is no less incum- 
bent on us to obey its precepts as far as is in our power. 
From our earliest childhood, a constant system of honesty 
should be taught and practised. As infants and children, 
we should learn to withstand the temptation of coveted 
sweets and toys, beyond our means to obtain, or belong- 
ing to another. Those petty thefts first accustom the 
mind to wrong; and if not strictly checked, lead step by 
step to things of more importance ; until, as years roll 
on, the childish thief becomes the hardened robber, who 
will not at last scruple to shed the blood of a fellow- 
creature, should he meet with opposition in his wicked 



SEVENTH AND EIGHTH COMMAND3IENTS. 237 

purpose, when detection, disgrace, and death on the 
scaffold, form the usual termination to his career of 
crime. 

" Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in 
his cause. Keep thee far from a false matter; and the 
innocent and righteous slay thou not; for I will not jus- 
tify the wicked. And thou shalt take no gift; for the 
gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the 
righteous" (Ex. xxiii. 6 — 9). 

Jacob. I suppose we must take this in connection 
with " Thou shalt do no unrighteousness in judgment,'^ 
but still does it come under the head of dishonesty ? 

Aunt. Certainly; if we are called upon to give evi- 
dence in any matter, say for example, that, in a quarrel 
between your schoolmates, you, as having witnessed the 
transaction, are appealed to for a true statement of the 
case, to aid judgment in rendering justice; now, if 
allowing yourself to be biassed by affection for either 
party, by dislike or a promised gift, you alter the facts 
or withhold the truth, are you not guilty of the double 
sin of lying and dishonesty? This is very different to 
tale-bearing : you are here called upon to give your 
evidence, in order that the innocent may not suffer for 
the guilty; and knowing this, if you permit any motive 
to influence you in distorting or withholding the truth, 
you are acting as a thief towards your fellow-creature; 
for the knowledge you have gained of the circumstances 
respecting him, should only be regarded as a deposit, to 
be restored or used for the benefit of the rightful owner. 
Theft does not only consist in the act of taking another 
person's property — should we find any article belonging 
to another, we must not appropriate it to ourselves — if 
we know the owner we must immediately restore it — if 
not, we must seek by every means to discover him, for 



238 SIXTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

to act otherwise is what I should call passive stealing, 
and against this also we are warned in our holy law. 

" Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go 
astray^ and hide thyself from them; thou shalt in any- 
wise bring them again unto thy brother. And if thy 
brother be not nigh unto thee, and if thou know him 
not, then shalt thou bring it unto thine own house, 
and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, 
and thou shalt restore it to him again. In like manner 
shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his 
Talment; and so shalt thou do with everything lost by 
thy brother, which he hath lost and thou hast found; 
thou mayest not hide thyselP' (Deut. xxii. 1 — 3). 

And now as a wind-up to this subject, I would wish 
to draw your attention to one more custom of dishonesty, 
which unfortunately occurs too frequently among the 
richer classes: can you form a guess as to my mean- 
ing? 

Jacob. Not unless it be, that they frequently incur 
heavy debts and do not always pay them readily. 

Aunt. No ; it is not exactly that, which is naturally 
included under the head of dishonesty: for if we take an- 
other person's goods not intending to pay for them, we 
are really robbing the seller — and this is generally 
^acknowledged — but the practice to which I allude is 
;surely not so recognised, or it would at once be discon- 
tinued ; for it is generally the result of heedlessness, the 
cause of which is, the disregard of the precept ''To love 
.thy neighbour as thyself" 

Evth. You have quite excited my curiosity, Aunt, I 
cannot imagine what you mean. 

Aunt. ''The wages of him that is hired shall not 
abide with thee until the morning.'^ What is the sig- 
nification of this verse, but that we are not to withhold 



SEVENTH AND EIGHTH COMMANDMENTS. 239 

the just dues of those wlio work for us, whether as hired 
servants, or otherwise? And yet how few obey this prq- 
'Cept properly! It is true, that most of us pay our servants' 
wages regularly, but that is necessary to our own com- 
:fort, as they would undoubtedly quit our service if such 
were not the case; therefore in^ dealing justly by them, 
we ;are at the same time serving ourselves: but how is it 
with our petty tradespeople, our dressmakers, our mil- 
liners, etc. ? Are we equally punctual ? I fear, alas ! 
that their small bills, on the receipt of which they per- 
-haps depend for their weekly rent or food, are too often 
heedlessly cast aside. This is not done from wilful dis- 
honesty — we intend to pay, but just now it is not con- 
venient ; they must send again, as we are engaged; in- 
deed we go the length of threatening to withdraw our 
custom for their impertinence in asking for the money they 
have earned from us. Do not you call this robbing the 
poor, my dear children? They have toiled and laboured for 
us; and we, while enjoying the fruit of their industry, 
reward them by keeping their just due, and robbing 
-them of the time they are compelled to spend in claim- 
ing it. Let us remember that " Whoso mocketh the 
poor reproacheth his Maker," and let us, therefore, 
earnestly resolve never again to follow such a cruel dis- 
honest practice; and if we have not hitherto so sinned, 
let us pray that we may never be induced to yield to the 
temptation of doing so. 

Buth, I very clearly perceive the wrong you have 
explained, though, certainly, it never appeared to me in 
so strong a light before; but now that we have concluded 
the eighth commandment, I do not see that we have 
exactly touched on deceit or falsehood, which sterns to 
.^me to belong to it. .^ 

Aunt. Decidedly it does, my love; and I had no in- 



240 SIXTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

tention of passing it over, only I tliougLt it better to- 
confine ourselves to one subject at a time. 

Truth, as emanating from the Lord, is the essence and 
foundation of every virtue. And of so much importance 
is it in the regulation of our conduct, that every page of 
Scripture furnishes us with precepts for its observance. 

*' Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from 
speaking guile" (Ps. xxxiv. 13). 

*' Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall 
dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and 
worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his 
heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor 
doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach 
against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is 
condemned ; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. 
He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He 
that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh 
reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things 
shall never be moved ^' (Ps. xv.). 

Ruth. This is really the description of a good man ^: 
and yet, if we examine it attentively, we must acknow- 
ledge that it is quite possible for every one to act up to 
it. Kich and poor, clever and ignorant, have equally 
the power of being upright and true; it wants but the 
courage to persevere. 

Jacob. Ah, there is the point ! It does want courage 
to speak the truth out boldly ; for there is either the fear 
of punishment and disgrace, or, what is almost as bad, 
the dread of ridicule and contempt to fight against. It 
always gives me a regular palpitation of the heart while 
I am struggling to overcome it ; but I must confess, that 
when once I have conquered myself, the feeling of relief 
all day is just like a hundred pounds' weight off my 
mind. 



SEVENTH AND EIGHTH COMMANDMENTS. 241 

Aunt. The greater the effort the more will your 
success be prized, my boy. What if you have acted 
wrongfully, either in a matter of disobedience or negli- 
gence, or have had an accident and broken something 
valuable! you have as yet only committed a fault, for 
which you must apologise, and endeavour to make all 
the reparation in your power; but, if once you deny 
that faultj remember that you have aggravated it by a 
crime, for which you will be responsible to your God, 
whose all-seeing eye takes note of your every impulse 
and feeling. Now, last week, when you were kept in 
three days with an imposition, for throwing the inkstand 
over Mr. Harrison's class-book out of school, did you not 
tell me that you felt much happier in confessing, than if 
you had concealed it, which you could easily have done, 
as there was no one present when it occurred? And 
although, when your master assembled the boys the fol- 
lowing morning, and asked who had done it, your heart 
beat very fast as you stepped forward and proclaimed 
yourself the culprit, were you not more than recompensed 
when he said — " Jacob, I must punish you for your 
heedlessness, as an example; but I honour you for boldly 
speaking the truth"? 

Jacob, Oh yes! I felt quite happy; and after every 
trial it becomes easier, only it is so disagreeable to be 
laughed at and called a Methodist. 

Aunt. If you have acted rightly, you can afford to 
be laughed at, my boy. It wants but a little moral 
courage to show that — 

" Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord: but they 
that deal truly are his delight " (Prov. xii. 22); and that 
"The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a 
lying tongue is but for a moment '^ {Ibid. 19). 

The object of uttering an untruth is generally to save 



242 SIXTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

one's self from some trouble; but it is quite a mistaken 
notion to suppose tliat it has that effect, for if "we reflect 
for a moment, we shall find that a falsehood sets our 
wits working to discover all the possible chances of de- 
tection, and, generally, necessitates two or three others, 
on which we had not calculated, to cover it. We must 
not accustom ourselves to practise deceit under any 
.shape. In relating any passing event, we should not 
allow ourselves to exaggerate or alter the smallest detail; 
it is a fault we are all too prone to commit, not with any 
direct intention of deceiving, but merely for the purpose 
of embellishing the story, and being admired for our wit 
and cleverness. But we must be strict with ourselves; 
for " Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am 
pure from my sin?" (Prov. xx. 9). 

We must not act deceit even in trifles. 

Ttuth. What do mean by that. Aunt? How ever can 
we act a falsehood? 

Aunt. More easily than you are aware of, my love. 
Suppose you were taking part in a conversation, in which 
some sentiments were expressed totally foreign to your 
own, and which, at the same time, you knew to be 
wrong; if, from fear of displeasing the parties, or of en- 
■countering ridicule, you offered no dissent, do. you not 
think they would have every reason to suppose you 
agreed with them, even if you did not say so in direct 
.words? Such a course of conduct I should call acting 
deceit, and might prove very injurious to yourself, as 
well as to others. 

Ruth. I wish you would show me in what way, for I 
do not see it. 

Aunt. I will soon prove it to you. As, by your 
silence, you are naturally supposed to coincide in the 
opinions expressed, you. must expect to be so reported 



SEVE^^TH AJ^D EIGHTH COMMANDMENTS. 213 

and estimated accordingly; and if your conduct has 
hitherto been such as to afford an example to those 
around you, so much the more injurious will this tacit 
dereliction from truth prove, as your influence will then 
act for evil instead of good. I do not tell you that it is 
easy to practise perfect truth: it requires constant care 
and watchfulness over ourselves, for insincerity assumes 
so many different shapes; but integrity is a shield that 
will protect us everywhere. We need fear no one if we 
have nothing to conceal; and our minds will be, conse- 
quently, easy and cheerful. Let us, then^ pray that our 
Heavenly Father may deign to bless our endeavours to 
walk uprightly, and may " guard our lips from uttering 
deceit. Let us each, my dear children, say, in full sin- 
cerity of heart — 

^' Eemove far from me vanity and lies : give me neither 
poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me : 
Lest I be satisfied, and deny thee, and say. Who is the 
Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of 
the Lord in vain^^ (Prov. xxx. 8 — 10). • 



SEVENTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS. 

Jacob. We are to commence this evening with the 
ninth commandment, — " Thou shalt not bear false wit- 
ness against thy neighbour''; and are taught in the 
law — *' If a false witness rise up against any man, to 
testify against him that which is wrong: then both the 
men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand 
before the Lord; before the priests and the judges who 
shall be in those days; and the judges shall make 
diligent enquiry; and, behold, if the witness be a 
false witness, and has testified falsely against his bro- 
ther : then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to 
do unto his brother; so shalt thou put the evil away 
from among you'^ (Deut. xix.l6 — 19). 

Aunt. This is a very important precept, and is re- 
peated under several forms in our holy law. 

'^ Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine 
hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. 
Keep thee far from a false matter, and the innocent and 
righteous slay thou not : for I will not justify the wicked" 
(Ex. xxiii. 1, 7). 

Now I scarcely think you are aware, my dear chil- 
dren, that in uttering the few simple words by which 
we bear false witness against our neighbour, we wilfully 
incur the heavy guilt and responsibility of disobeying 



NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS. 245 

not alone this one command^ but certainly two, if not 
three others. 

Ituth, I suppose you allude in the first instance to 
taking the Lord^s name in vain ; as a witness in a court 
of justice is generally called upon to give his evidence 
on oath; but I cannot get any further. 

Aunt, You forget that evidence is frequently re- 
quired on a question of life and death : therefore if a 
witness by his false representations be the cause of unjust 
condemnation, has he not, in addition to the desecration 
of the Lord's name, violated the sixth commandment — 
"Thou shalt do no murder"? Has he not assisted to 
slay the innocent and righteous"? Even if it be a 
private matter on a less important scale,, in which a man 
bears false witness against his neighbour, he acts as a 
liar and thief; for to rob a person of his character, to 
defraud him of the respect and love of his fellow- 
creatures, is certainly an infraction of the eighth com- 
mandment — " Thou shalt not steal." 

Jacob, How are we to understand, '' Thou shalt not 
raise a false report"? Does it mean repeating the words 
of others? 

Aunt. No; to raise a false report is to originate it 
ourselves, to invent something false of our neighbour 
and publish it to the world; whereas to repeat another's 
words, is to spread a report already existing; — the 
former is a direct infraction of this commandment — the 
latter a most reprehensible practice, too frequently 
equally injurious in its effects; and it is, therefore, of 
the utmost consequence that we should not accustom 
ourselves to the habit of repeating casual gossip, for we 
know not the mischief we m.ay be doing, nor the sin 
we may be committing by probably spreading false 
reports. If even we are really cognizant of evil, it Is 



246 SEVENTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

not obligatory on us to expose it, unless called upon to 
do so for the good of society, orforthe sake of rendering 
justice to ahotlier; for — 

" Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearei* 
among thy people" (Lev. xix. 16). 

But if required to give our evidence, we must then 
speak the exact truth, neither falsifying the matter from 
malice or revenge, nor withholding the real facts from 
affection or bribery. 

"A false witness shall not go unpunished, and he that 
speaketh lies shall perish" (Prov. xix. 9). 

But willingly and needlessly to give evidence against 
a person, is again launching into the opposite extreme; 
to proclaim evil of another, even if it be true, implies a 
want of charity, that is a sin in itself We must speak 
the truth at all times, hut the truth need not always he 
spoken. 

Ruth. Why that is a complete contradiction : do pray 
explain it, Aunt, as well as what connection it has with 
charity, which consists in relieving the poor, does it not? 

Aunt. You are certainly most ingenious, my love, 
in starting some subject that leads us into a side-path ; 
however, I have no objection to follow your lead, pro- 
vided we keep up the connection with the main-road : so 
I will first prove to you that my maxim can be very 
easily understood and acted upon. The first part na- 
turally does not require any explanation, as we have 
already dilated largely on the importance of a strict 
adherence to truth under every relation in life — hut 
that the truth need not always he spoken — may, perhaps, 
puzzle you, unless we find the right interpretation. 

'' He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but 
he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends" 
(Prov. xvii. 9). 



NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS. 247 

Does not this verse make it clear to you? Because 
we are aware either through report or our own observa- 
tion, that evil may be attributed to our neighbour, even 
if we be certain as to the accuracy of our information, 
it behoves us not to blazon it forth to the world; we 
should rather seek to hide than to proclaim it^ if by so 
doing we commit no infraction of duty : we should follow 
the precept of King Solomon, who says: "Debate thy 
cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not the 
secret of another" [lb. xxv. 9) ; we should strive by 
mild persuasion to make him repent and turn from 
his transgression, then should we be acting with true 
charity. 

Jacob, There, you are using that word again^ in 
quite a different sense to what I have always attached 
to it. I wish you would tell us how we are really to 
understand it. 

c Aunt. Charity, my dear children, owes its origin 
to the one great principle of Judaism, '■Uo love thy 
neighbour as thy self. ^^ It may be practised under several 
distinct forms, all having reference to this precious com- 
mand. To commence with the meaning more generally 
acknowledged — relieving the poor and needy. How 
beautiful are the exhortations to observe it in our Holy 
Law ! 

" And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou 
shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither 
shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And 
thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou 
gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave 
them for the poor and stranger. I am the Lord your 
God" (Lev. xix. 9—11). 

**When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not 
go over the boughs again ; it shall be for the stranger, 



248 SEVENTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

for tKe fatherless, and for the widow. When thou 
gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not 
glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, for the 
fatherless, and for the widow " (Deut. xxiv. 20 — 22). 

Now although since the dispersion of Israel, the na- 
ture of our occupation has changed from agriculture to 
commerce, it is equally possible, and not the less incum- 
bent on us, to carry out the full signification of this 
precept. 

Jacob. I suppose you mean, that besides relieving 
the poor from our purse, we should not, in our eagerness 
for gain, grasp all we can, and grind down to the last 
farthing, but should allow them the chance of gleaning 
fair and just profits. 

Aunt. Just so, *' Eob not the poor, because he is 
poor; neither oppress the afflicted in the gate'' (Prov. 
xxii. 22). We must, in the first instance, never refuse 
to assist our poorer brethren to the extent of our means, 
and that ii; a kind and loving spirit, not making them 
feel the pain of dependance, and weight of obligation. 

"Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he 
also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard " {Ibid: xxi. 
13). But, " He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth 
unto the Lord, and that which he hath given will he 
pay him again" {Ibid. xix. 17). 

Then, as you justly observe, we must not take advan- 
tage of our neighbour's poverty to oppress him; and 
against this we are also warned in our Law. 

" If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor 
by thee, thou shalt not be to him as a usurer, neither 
shalt thou lay upon him usury. If thou at all take thy 
neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto 
him by that the sun goeth down : For that is his cover- 
ing only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall 



NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS. 249 

he sleep? and it sliall come to pass wlien lie crietli 
unto me, tbat I will hear; for I am gracious" (Ex. 
xxii. 25—28). 

Ruth. It appears to me, Aunt, that our Law and 
Scriptures, contain precepts respecting almost every 
possible virtue and vice; it is really quite singular 
to notice the various emergencies that have been pro- 
vided for. 

Aunt. A slight consideration as to the source from 
whence our Holy Law is derived, will at once cause 
your surprise to cease, my love; for do we not know 
that the emanation of Divine wisdom must be all- 
perfect? And such it most assuredly is; for there is not 
an infirmity of our nature against which we are not 
specially warned, there is not a virtue that we are 
not taught to practise. To love thy neighbour as thy- 
self, is the moving spirit of our moral law; it is the 
mainspring of true charity; and although, as I said 
before, I am glad and ready to acknowledge that it 
is extensively acted on by others than ourselves_, I 
cannot concede the right they arrogate to themselves 
•of terming a kind act Christian charity, when the very 
precepts that inculcate it^ are taken from our precious 
Eevelation. 

Jacob, Well, at all events. Aunt, there is now no 
chance of our being misled; for we intend to commit 
them all to memory, so that we shall never be at a loss 
to prove our title to the texts; for I do not exactly 
relish being defrauded of our own peculiar property: 
but pray continue the subject of charity, for I am sure 
it must branch out further. 

Aunt. To be truly charitable, we must be so in 
thought, as well as deed; we must so love our neigh- 
bour, as willingly to think no ill of him; we must 

s 



250 SEVENTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

judge him as we would that he should judge us, and; 
should put the fairest construction on his motives and 
actions; always remembering that "the merciful man 
doeth good to his own soul; but he that is cruel, trou- 
bleth his own flesh-" (Prov. xi. 17). The poor and 
needy, the widow and orphan, the stranger, the hired 
servant, each and all must share our kindness. As God's 
children, the beings of His creation, rich and poor, are 
equally united by the tie of brotherhood; and as such, 
are bound mutually to assist each other. You think, 
perhaps, that the power is all on one side; that the poor 
can do little for the wealthy; and certainly, in worldly 
matters, you may be right: but money, though a great 
desideratum, is not the only thing needful to ensure hap- 
piness. We can none answer how we may be situated. 

"Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest 
not what a day may bring forth " (Prov. xxvii. 1). 

We may none stand forth in pride and haughtiness,, 
exclaiming, / am independent, I require no man's help^ 
when the event of a few seconds may prove the vanity 
of our sinful arrogance. The sudden death of a beloved 
one, an unexpected bodily accident, or even an unlooked-^ 
for loss of property, may make us thankfully accept the 
assistance and sympathy of those whom we had looked 
down upon in our prosperity. It is quite a mistaken 
notion to imagine that the rich alone can be charitable; 
it is in the power of all alike to obey the command, " to 
love thy neighbour as thyself.'^ He who is so straitened in 
means that he has not a penny to give away, may yet 
follow it more strictly than he who bestows pounds on 
the poor. 

Jacob. Yes; I understand now. You mean that he 
may feel with the afflicted, may give them his sympathy 
and advice, his time and bodily help. 



NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS. 251 

Aunt, Undoubtedly. We need not to be ricb to ex- 
ercise cbaritable feelings — to practise forbearance — to 
put up with each other's failings — to bring ourselves to 
forgive injuries; such a course of conduct is quite inde- 
pendent of money, and within the capacity of every one. 
I do not tell you, that ^' to love thy neighbour as thyself" 
is an easy task^ and to be accomplished at once. We 
must not content ourselves with merely wishing to do 
so; we must keep constant watch over our actions and 
feelings, striving to live in a kindly spirit with all 
persons. There is no merit in doing so with the meek 
and humble, for they make no call on our patience; but 
with the peevish, the froward and perverse^ it is our duty 
to exercise forbearance — to give up even our own 
wishes, rather than create contention. We should again 
not cast off the sinner harshly, but rather seek to recall 
him to the path of virtue by kindness and good counsel ; 
for, unfortunately, many a culprit^ either young in years 
or in crime, has been irremediably lost, from the want of 
a friendly helping hand to give him courage to retrace 
his steps. If, from a proud consciousness of our own 
superior virtue, we refuse our support and countenance 
to the sinner in his efforts to testify repentance, we surely 
incur the responsibility of the future crimes into which 
he may recklessly plunge, rendered desperate by the un- 
charitableness of his fellow-creatures. 
[^ Ruth. But, Aunt, you certainly would not think it 
right to encourage crime? 

Aunt. Undoubtedly not, my love. Still although we 
ought most assuredly to shew the world, by our own con- 
duct, the different estimation in which we hold the good 
and wicked, it is not the less our duty to lend a helping 
hand to reclaim our fallen brother. A kind w^ord, and 
well timed advice, have far greater effect than you are 



252 SEVENTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

aware of; for "a word spoken in season, liow good is it." 
Besides^ liow know we to what temptations our erring 
brother may have been exposed, and can we feel sure 
that we should not have fallen likewise, had we been 
similarly circumstanced ? It may be, that the opportunity 
alone has been wanting, to bring out the dark side of our 
own characters; therefore, my dear children, let us strive 
to temper our justice with mercy, always remembering 
how much we shall stand in need of the same when our 
secret sins, whether of committal or intent, stand arrayed 
against us at the great Day of Judgment. Having now 
given you an outline of the main features of charity, we 
will, I think, proceed to the tenth commandment, which 
is likewise connected with this subject in no slight 
degree. 

Ruth. " Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, 
thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man- 
servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor 
anything that is thy neighbour's." 

By lliis, I suppose, we are to understand, that it is for- 
bidden to encourage any feeling of covetousness towards 
another, that would lead us to wish to appropriate his 
possessions to ourselves, or to be envious of his personal 
talents and graces, or, in fact, of any point in which we 
may consider him more favoured than ourselves. 

Aunt. You have given a very just interpretation of 
this commandment; and it is, indeed, imperatively neces- 
sary that we should stifle the first impulse of covetousness 
that arises within our breast — that we should resist its 
earliest approaches; for once allowed a momentary rest- 
ing-place, we have given the power out of our hands, 
and can scarcely hope to dislodge it effectually. And 
most baneful are its effects I "We cannot, indeed, calcu- 
late on its results; for a covetous feeling unchecked 



NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS. 253 

naturally leads to tlie desire for possession, when, if it be 
not possible to attain tlie coveted object by fair means^ 
foul will in the end be resorted to. Therefore are we 
warned — 

" And that ye seek not after the inclinations of your 
heart, and the delight of your eyes, in the pursuit of which 
ye have been led astray. That ye may remember, and 
do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God ^^ 
(Num. XV. 39— 41). 

"Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil 
upon their beds ! when the morning is light, they practise 
it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they 
covet fields^ and take them by violence; and houses^ and 
take them away : and they oppress a man and his house, 
and the master and his heritage " (Micah ii. 1 — 3). 

Jacob. Is not envy a species of covetousness? 

Aunt. It is rather, I should say, the feeling that 
induces it ; for to envy is to repine at the happiness of 
others — to feel vexation at ano ther's good. Envy is a 
noxious weed, that we m.ust root up unrelentingly, or it 
will eat into the fibres of the heart, and sap the founda- 
tion of every virtue. It is a fearful sin^ nothing less 
than rebellion against God. 

Jacob. How so, x\unt? I do not see in what manner 
you can infer that. 

Aunt. As necessarily implying discontent with our 
own lot — with the portion which the Ruler of the uni- 
verse has assigned to us in His wisdom and pleasure. 
We know that the Lord is the Disposer of every event 
that happens to man; therefore, in encouraging a feeling 
of envy and jealousy of our neighbour's position, we arc 
literally accusing Him, who is infallible in justice and 
mercy, of displaying undue -partiality in the distribution 
of His benefits. If we would guard ourselves, my dear 



254 SEVENTEENTH CONVEESATION. 

children, against transgressing the tenth commandment, 
to which envy is the first step, we must strenously seek 
to practise the precept, '^ to love thy neighbour as thyself" ; 
for then, instead of regarding him in a mean, grudging 
spirit, we shall rejoice in his prosperity, and sympathise 
in his affliction — his happiness will fill our hearts with 
gladness, instead of repining; and we shall learn to feel 
that for our own part, — 

" Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great 
treasure and trouble therewith" (Prov. xv. 16). 

Envy, if encouraged, will become the ruthless de- 
stroyer of our peace of mind ; it has no resting-place, and 
distils poison from the most innocent enjoyments, de- 
stroying all kindly feelings; and while exaggerating 
the disagreeables of our own position, magnifies the 
advantages of our neighbours. 

Ruth. But, Aunt, is it wrong to wish for anything 
provided we do not covet another's property? 

Aunt. If the object of your desire be innocent, and 
to be obtained by straightforward means, I know not 
that it is exactly wrong, although it would be far 
better that we should strive to abstain from wishing 
for more than is granted us; we should be acting in a 
more religious spirit, were we in humble trust and 
faith to commit our lot to our Heavenly Father, who in 
His omniscience directs all for our good. How many 
have repented of, and would gladly have recalled a 
wish, when its fulfilment has proved the falsity of all 
human calculation ! Let us rather do as the Psalmist 
enjoins: — 

" Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him; 
and He will bring it to pass. And He will bring forth 
thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the 
noon-day. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for 



NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS. 255 

Him, fret not thyself because of liim wlio prospereth in 
his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices 
to pass (Psalm xxxvii. 5 — 8). 

Jacob, I am not quite satisfied yet: do you mean 
that the desire to excel, to be distinguished, is wrong? 

Aunt. You are placing the subject in quite a different 
light, my boy ; and I should indeed regret were you so 
far to misunderstand me, as to infer that an ambition to 
excel if properly directed, is to be avoided; there is 
a marked distinction between being dissatisfied with 
one's lot and coveting that of another, or earnestly 
wishing and striving to make the best of the position 
assigned to us. We must labour unrepiningly in the 
vocation that has been appointed us, whether in the 
arena of public life, or in the contracted circle of the 
domestic hearth; but it is not forbidden us to wish, 
aye, and to do our utmost to excel in that vocation. 
The soul, or living spirit within us, urges us incessantly 
onwards; points to Heaven as the goal, the promised 
haven of rest, to deserve which all our efforts must 
tend; bids us be pre-eminent in virtue and the know- 
ledge of God, and incites us to cultivate to the utmost 
•of our power the worldly talents with which we have 
been endowed. If we look forward in such a spirit, we 
may hope for approval and success; and if even in wis- 
dom that be withheld, we must strive then to excel in 
patient humble submission. Before concluding for this 
evening, 1 must give you one more hint respecting 
enYj, which assumes such multifarious disguises^ that we 
cannot be too strict in investigating the motives that 
prompt our every action. In warning our prosperous 
neighbour of his errors, we no doubt flatter ourselves 
that we are acting kindly and right; and so we un- 
doubtedly are, if all is right within : but are we quite sure 



256 SEVENTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

tliat no unsuspected feeling of envy of his superiority 
in some respect to ourselves, does not distort our view 
and warp our judgment? This may or may not be the 
case; but at all events we should make it a rule to look 
more charitably on our neighbour's faults, than on our 
own, and at the same time should endeavour to learn 
true contentment, which consists in bringing the mind 
down to the lot that is appointed us. And now, my 
dear children, having, I hope, properly and attentively 
studied the signification of the different precepts of the 
Decalogue, let us pray that we may succeed in observing 
them ; for in doing so, we shall fulfil our duty towards 
God, and towards our fellow-creatures. 

''Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: 
Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is 
the whole duti/ of man '' (Eccl. xii. 13). 



EIGHTEENTH CONYEESATION. 

ON MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 

Ruth. The Festivals are next on our list of discussions ; 
but if you liave no objection, Aunt, we should like 
before commencing on this subject, to have a little con- 
versation this] evening on a few miscellaneous topics ; 
which, although not exactly belonging to them indivi- 
dually, are yet so far connected^ as to make us desirous 
of some previous information, in order that we may 
understand them thoroughly; and as each festival will 
bring its own train of observations, I think it will be 
better to clear off the extra ones first. Will you then 
begin, by giving us some idea how the months of our 
year are regulated ; for it seems to me very strange that 
the anniversary of the New Year, should be celebrated 
on the first day of the seventh month? 

Aunt. I am only happy to meet your wishes in 
every possible manner, my dear children, as the un- 
abated interest you evince in our religious studies, gives 
you an undoubted right to suggest what you conceive 
the most agreeable and instructive mode of prosecuting 
them. Now as you are aware of my fancy for striking 
at the root of a matter_, I must ask you, in the first in- 
stance_, if you know on what system of reckoning our 
calendar is formed? 



258 EIGHTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

Jacob. Oh, yes; we reckon from the creation of 
tlie world, and by lunar months instead of solar. 

Ruth. "Why, what is the difference? 

Aunt. My dear child, your wits are surely wool- 
gathering; do you not know that a lunar month is 
reckoned from one new moon to another, and that it has 
less days than a solar or calendar month, which is re- 
gulated by the course of the sun? Although you may 
not be aware of the Latin derivation Luna, I should 
have thought the French word Lune, which stands for 
moon, would have enlightened you. The common 
year commences on the first of January, and consists of 
twelve solar months, or three hundred and sixty-five 
days, six hours and some minutes; and to keep the 
calendar correct, every fourth year, called Leap-year, 
these extra hours and minutes form another day, which 
is added to the month of February, giving it twenty- 
nine days: do you understand this now? 

Ruth. Yes; but I do not see that it has anything 
to do with us, because our year begins in September. 

Aunt. Exactly so; nevertheless we are not quite so 
independent as you seem to imagine; for, being no 
longer in our own land, we are obliged to conform to 
the customs of the countries where we are allowed to 
sojourn; and are compelled to regulate our commercial 
transactions by the common year, as no other is recog- 
nised; but our connection closes with worldly matters, 
in every thing appertaining to our religion and to our- 
selves individually, such as the recurrence of the fes- 
tivals, the anniversaries of birth-days or deaths, we are 
solely guided by our own calendar, the principles of 
which I will now try to explain to you. "Dating^ from 

* With a few unimportant alterations for simplification, this 
is transcribed from "Instruction in the Mosaic Eehgion." 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 259 

the creation of the world, our year, as you say, begins 
in September, and consists of twelve lunar months, each 
commencing with the new moon^ and having either 
twenty -nine or thirty days. This is our common year; 
and as it only comprises three hundred and fifty-four 
days, or rather more than eleven days less than the 
solar year, in order to remain even with it, and to cele- 
brate the festival of the Passover in the Spring month, 
which we are distinctly commanded to do in the Law, 
we intercalate, or add in, an additional month of thirty 
days every two or three years after the month Adar, and 
immediately before the Passover month; this is called 
"i^i^l or ''J2J' "n&5 (Veadar). Such a year of thirteen 
months, is termed a leap-year, and in every period of 
nineteen years occurs seven times, viz. : — on the third, 
sixth, eighth, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth, and 
nineteenth." 

Jacob. Where are we ordered to celebrate the Pass- 
over in the spring month? I suppose that will answer 
Kuth's question. 

Aunt. It certainly will, for we find : — 

*' Take care to observe the spring month (Abib), that 
thou sacrificest in the same the Passover offering, in 
honour of the Eternal thy God; for in the spring month 
did the Eternal thy God bring thee out of Egypt at 
night" (Deut. xvi. 1). 

*' And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the 
land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the 
beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the 
year to you " (Ex. xii. 1 — 3). 

Do you not now perceive that we are commanded to 
distinguish this month more particularly by marking it 
in our calendar as the first of months, in order to per- 
petuate the remembrance of the great event which we 



260 EIGHTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

may almost regard as the foundation of tlie Jewish 
nation? 

Jacob. How so? The people must have existed 
before, or they could not have been redeemed from 
Egypt. 

Aunt. I can advance nothing against 'such an un- 
doubted truism ; only it does not in the least controvert 
my assertion. The descendants of Israel certainly ex- 
isted, but in a benighted state of ignorance, following 
the idolatrous and wicked practices of the people, with 
whom they were amalgamated, and it was only through 
the great event of our national history, — the miracu- 
lous redemption of our forefathers from their bondage 
in Egypt, — that they became sensible how pre-eminently 
they were blessed in being selected from all the nations 
of the earth, to be called to the service of God; to re- 
ceive His Holy Law; to be " the first-born of the Lord, 
a peculiar treasure, a kingdom of priests and a holy 
nation/^ Such an occurrence was not to be lightly 
passed over; so memorable a period "was to be stamped 
for ever on the minds of every succeeding generation 
by being entitled the first of months, because the Is- 
raelites thereon commenced a new life, knowing them- 
selves then to be under the direct guardianship of their 
Creator. This does not in the least afiect our reckon- 
ing; the anniversary of the Creation, which is assumed 
to have taken place at the time of year when it is cele- 
brated, remains the same; the change is only in the 
order in which we call our months. 

Ruth. I see this clearly now; but it puzzled me very 
much before; as I could not imagine how the New 
Year and the first month could be at different periods ; 
but now of course it is easily understood. Tishri, or the 
seventh month, is actually the first in the year from the 



MISCELLANEOUS SLBJECTS. 261 

assumption of the creation; wliile Nissan, or the first 
month, ranks so from the command of God^ as a mark of 
pre-eminence, in commemoration of the wonderful events 
He brought to pass at that time. Will you repeat our 
months with the corresponding English ones^ as neariy 
as possible; for I do not know in what order they 
stand. 

Aunt. With pleasure; and I think it will be well 
for you to make a note of them, as it is very useful, and 
indeed, necessary to know the connection between our 
calendar and that in general observance. I can, of 
course, affix no dates to the corresponding months, as 
the difference in the solar and lunar reckoning produces 
continual variation, you must therefore be content with 
the outline; the particulars you can ascertain satisfac- 
torily when requisite, by referring to any of the Hebrew 
calendars extant. 

HEBSEW MONTHS. E2TGLISH MONTHS. 

1. Nissan or Abib, ) n • a/t i. i a -i 

2. lyar, ., April and May. 

3. Sivac, ,, May and June. 

4. Tamuz, „ June and July. 

5. Ab, ,, July and August. 

6. Elul, .J August and September. 

7. Tishri, ., September and October. 

8. Marchesvan, „ October and November. 

9. Kislev, „ November and December. 

10. Tebeth, „ December and January. 

11. Shebat, ., January and February. 

12. Adar, „ February and March. 

You will remember_, that in leap-year another month is 
introduced after Adar, termed Veada?^, or Ada?' Sheny^ 
Adar the second. 

Jacob. Are we commanded to observe the recurrence 



262 EIGHTEENTH CONVERSATION. 



^ 



of the new moon, that we have a particular service of 
prayer appointed for it? 

Aunt. Undoubtedly ; as we have no longer the power 
of obeying the direct letter of the law, which enjoins 
certain offerings to be made at this season, we can only 
now mark the beginning of our months by a special 
form of prayer, reading in the Sepher, or scroll of the 
law, the ordinances formerly observed on such occasions. 
"And on the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a 
burnt offering unto the Lord : two young bulls, and one 
ram, seven lambs of the first year without blemish, and 
three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offerinor, min- 
gled with oil for one bull ; and two tenth deals of fine 
flour minoied with oil for one ram ; and a tenth deal of 
fine flour mingled with oil for every lamb, for a burnt 
offering of a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto 
the Lord. And the drink offerings thereunto belong- 
ing shall be half an hin of wine for each bull; and the 
third part of an hin for each ram ; and the fourth part of 
an hin for each lamb : this is the burnt offering of every 
month throughout the months of the year. And one kid 
for a sin offering unto the Lord, besides the daily con- 
tinual burnt offering, and its drink offering, shall all this^ 
he offered" (Numbers xxviii. 11 — 16). 

The trumpet was also to be blown on the day of the 
new moon, thus we find — 

" Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn 
days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye ^shall 
blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and 
over the sacrifices of your peace offerings ; that they may 
be to you for a memorial before your God : / am the 
Lord your God " (Num. x. 10). 

" Sound the cornet on the day of the new moon, at 
the appointed time, on the day of our solemn feast. For 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 263 

this is a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of 
Jacob"(Ps. Ixxxi. 3— 5). 

Ruth. Will you tell us the reason we observe two 
days of festivals, when we only find the first and seventh 
named as days of holy convocation in the Bible? 

Aunt. You are aware, that all our festivals and feasts, 
with the exception of the day of Atonement, are com- 
memorative of particular events in our history; and are, 
therefore, appointed for certain days of certain months, 
at which stated periods, alone, they are to be observed. 
Now, in former years, our ancestors had not arrived at 
the knowledge of so regulating the calendar, as to be 
able to compute the recurrence of the festivals with pre- 
cision; they were, indeed, obliged to await the appear- 
ance of the new moon, in order to ascertain whether the 
passing month would comprise twenty-nine or thirty 
days, and as at the expiration of the seventy years cap- 
tivity only a portion of the Israelites returned to Jeru- 
salem, those remaining in Babylon and the provinces 
had no other means of calculating the beginning of their 
months, etc., than by a decree from the Sanhedrim, or 
chief council in the Holy City, who despatched swift 
messengers to the various parts immediately on the first 
glimpse of the new moon, informing their distant bre- 
thren on what days the festivals ought to commence. 
Still this mode of communication was by no means satis- 
factory; it Avas too much dependent on casualties to be 
relied on; and it was therefore decided that two days 
should be celebrated, in order thus to ensure the right 
one being observed. After the calendar was fixed and 
organised, the Jews still continued to celebrate the addi- 
tional holidays, not as believing them commanded by 
Moses, but in remembrance of the state of the captives . 
previous to that time. This custom has descended almost 



264 EIGHTEENTH CONVEESATION. 

universally unto the present day, and I can discover no 
reasonable ground for discontinuing it. We certainly 
withdraw six extra days from our worldly profits and 
amusements; but there can be little doubt, but that if 
we apply and devote them cheerfully to the service of 
God, we shall have no cause to repent having obeyed the 
precept_, which it seems almost allowable to apply in this 
instance, " Eemove not the ancient landmark which thy 
fathers have set " (Prov. xxii. 28). 

Jacob. Then, in fact^ the second and last days, can 
only be regarded as the continuation of the first and 
seventh, and in the feast of Tabernacles of the eighth ? 

Aunt. Exactly so ; and we, therefore, read the same 
portion in the second Sepher l^riDD as on the original 
days. 

Ruth. How is it that the portion in the Maphtir, 
always consists of a description of the sacrifice? 

Aunt. I should have thought that your own pene- 
tration would have discovered, that it is so arranged to 
keep up the remembrance of our ancient Temple-service, 
of which unhappily we have been deprived since our 
dispersion and banishment from Palestine. If you look 
through the books of Leviticus and Numbers, you will find 
that certain special offerings were appointed for Sabbaths 
and Festivals, in dependent of the daily ones; and, as we 
are deprived of the means of performing the actual service 
enjoined in the law, we thankfully avail ourselves of the 
only opportunity still remaining to us of perpetuating its 
remembrance in our generations; and therefore always 
conclude the reading of the law, by rehearsing after the 
prescribed portion, the particular offerings for the day in 
question. 

Jacob. Before we proceed further, I wish Aunt you 
would explain the purpose of the institution of sacrifice 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 265 

— was it merely ceremonial, or intended to make atone- 
ment for sin? I mean, for instance, if a person liad 
committed a crime, did lie believe that he would be for- 
given by bringing a sacrifice to the Lord? 

Aunt. He was not warranted in doing so^ miless it 
were preceded by sincere confession of the sin, if between 
man and his Creator; and also by restitution if between 
man and man. ^' And it shall come to pass, when he 
discovers the sin he has committed by doing any one of 
these, he shall confess the sin he has done; and he shall 
bring his trespass-offering unto the Lord for the sin 
which he hath sinned_, a female from the flock ; a lamb 
or kid of the goats for a sin-offering ; and the priest shall 
make an atonement for him concerning his sin" (Lev. v. 
5 — 7). '^ Then they shall confess their sin which they 
have done; and he shall recompense his trespass wiih 
the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part 
thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath 
trespassed" (Numbers v. 7). 

AYhen our gracious God commanded the erection of 
the tabernacle in the wilderness_, He also ordained a 
priesthood, and instituted certain ceremonial observances, 
calculated in His wisdom to impress the minds of the 
people with awe and reverence, and to keep their reli- 
gious feelings in action; for you must remember that 
our ancestors had been accustomed to associate all their 
ideas of worship with outward symbols, such having 
been the practice among the Egyptians and surrounding 
nations in paying adoration to their heathen deities; 
and, being only in the infancy of the pure belief in the 
OjS'E Sole God, prayer alone without exterior forms, 
would not have sufficed to keep their hearts steady be- 
fore Him; they needed to be reminded by actual ser- 
vice, that they were worshipping a living, invisible 

T 



266 EIGHTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

Being. Besides, that sacrifice had also been tKe ex- 
terior form of worship among our forefathers from the 
Creation; for do we not find '*And Abel, he also 
brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat 
thereof^ and the Lord had respect unto Abel and to 
his offering" (Gen. iv. 4). 

" And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; he took 
of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and 
offered burnt- offerings on the altar" (Gen. viii. 20). Also, 

" The Lord appeared unto Abrara, and said. Unto 
thy seed will I give this land: he there built an altar 
unto the Lord, who A«£? appeared unto him" (Gen. xii. 7). 

Isaac and Jacob likewise built altars and offered 
sacrifices before the Lord; therefore you perceive it had 
been a practice from time immemorial. 

Jacob. Still, I should have thought, that when directly 
ordered, there would have been no resemblance between 
our ceremonies and those of the heathen, as the great 
object was to make the Israelites shun idolatry; and 
sacrifices we know foimed a part of its creed. 

Aunt. And I will prove to you on a little considera- 
tion, that this only point of connection, serves from its 
intent and peculiar mode of observance, to mark out in 
the most forcible manner the broad distinction between 
the worship commanded in wisdom and mercy by the 
Living God, and the barbarous, senseless rites of idolatry. 
Not for the purpose of marking repentance for sin did 
the heathens bring their victims to the altar ; neither 
were they content with the sacrifice of animals; but 
human blood was made to flow in torrents to propitiate 
their deities of " wood and stone,'' the fac-similes of 
which you have seen in the Egyptian and Assyrian 
Courts of the Crystal Palace. 

Ruth. Oh, yes, I remember your pointing them out 



A 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 267 

to US. It seems almost impossible to believe, tbat any- 
one could have ascribed Divine power to such extra- 
ordinary monsters. 

Aunt. And yet innocent babes — men and v^^omen — 
were ruthlessly cast into the flames^ and all manner of 
enormities practised in the iniquitous worship rendered 
them. Under what a different aspect is the institution 
of sacrifice presented to us in our holy law I Not as a sinful 
waste of life without aim or purpose — nor as the actual 
means of atonement; but as a necessary accompaniment, 
as a testimonial before the Lord, and a public acknow- 
ledgment before our brethren, either of repentance for 
sin — of trespass against our neighbour — of thanksgiving 
for escape from dangers of all kinds — and, lastly, of the 
blessings of our lot. Sacrifices were of two kinds — 
national, or such as were commanded to be offered by 
the high priest for the whole congregation; these be- 
longed to the service of the Temple, and consisted of the 
daily burnt offerings D^I^Dn ; the additional sacrifices on 
sabbaths and festivals D'^SDID ; and the sin offerings mxtsn; 
when any principle of the law had been infringed; pri- 
vate or individual sacrifices were called for by circum- 
stances; such as sin, trespass, etc., as we named just now; 
but in order to render them acceptable to the Lord, and 
efiicacious aids to forgiveness, they were to be accom- 
Danied by sincere repentance, and earnest purpose of 
amendment; for in offering them benefit could alone 
accrue to ourselves. " Hear, my people, and I will 
speak ; Israel, I will testify against thee : I am God, 
even thy God. Not for thy sacrifices will I reprove 
thee, nor need thy burnt offerings be continually before 
me. I will not an ox from thy house, nor a ram from 
thy enclosures; for mine are all the beasts of the field, 
the cattle on the mountains by thousands. I know all 



268 EIGHTEENTH CONYERSATION. 

tlie birds of the mountains, and tlie beasts of the field 
are mine. When I hunger I need not tell thee, for mine 
is the universe^ and all that is in it. Shall I eat the 
flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of rams? Offer up thy 
thanks unto the Lord, and then pay the Most High thy 
vows. And call on me in the day of affliction, and I 
will help thee out — thus only thou honourest me ! ^^ 
(Ps. 1. 7—16). 

We are expressly told in Scripture, that sacrifice with- 
out obedience, true repentance, and amendment, is not 
acceptable to the Lord; it was in mercy instituted to 
promote a rightful course of feeling; therefore the act 
alone without the spirit would have been of no avail, as 
is clearly proved by the reproof of Samuel to Saul, on 
his pleading in extenuation of having saved the cattle of 
the Amalekites alive^ that they were intended for sacri- 
fices. ^^And Samuel said. Hath the l^oidi as great delight 
in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice 
of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice^ 
and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as 
the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and j 
idolatry" (1 Sam. xv. 22, 23). 

King David in his prayer for remission of sins Psalm li. j 
again shows us that the outward sacrifice was not suffi- 
cient to atone for evil. 

" Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall 
declare thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice, else 
would I give it; thou delightest not in burnt offering. 
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and 
a contrite heart, God, thou wilt not despise "(15 — 18). 

And should we not bless the Divine mercy, my dear 
children, that thus places sacrifices within the scope of 5 
all to offer? Scattered as we are among the nations — 
aliens from our land and privileges, we still have it in our 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 269 

power to offer tKe spirit of our ancient sacrifices : we can 
now, as formerly, bring repentance for sin, make resti- 
tution for trespass, and amend our ways; — we have still 
tlie power of rendering thanksgiving to the Lord for 
escapes from peril, as well as for the blessings of our 
lot. We can still obey the voice of the Lord, as He 
spake to our fathers. 

" For I did not say to your fathers, nor did I com- 
mand them on the day when I brought them out of 
the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings and sa- 
crifices. But this thing commanded I them; saying, 
Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall 
be my people. And walk ye in all the ways that I 
have commanded you that it may be well unto you" 
(Jer. vii. 22—24). 

Ruth, Were the sacrifices voluntary, or were they 
obliged to be brought at fixed periods? 

Aunt. The national sacrifices that were instituted 
as part of our religious ceremonial, were appointed for 
stated times; but private offerings were voluntary; that 
is to say, although the various causes for which sacrifices 
of their respective kinds were to be offered, were specified 
in the law, it yet rested with the individual to bring 
them to the altar of his own free-will; it was not com- 
pulsory by law, but knowing it to have been the ex- 
pressed will of God, that certain acts or events should be 
thus openly acknowledged, the defaulter must have felt 
himself not only guilty of neglect and disobedience, but 
of rebellion and stubbornness; inasmuch as he would not 
turn his heart to the right spirit for appearing at the 
altar of his God. 
j Jacob. As the private sacrifices were voluntary, I 
suppose they were not confined to any particular place, 
but could be offered wherever a person dwelt? 

i 



270 EIGHTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

Aunt. On the contrary; we aie expressly forbidden 
to sacrifice anywhere but ''in the place which the Lord 
shall choose." 

" Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt- 
offerings in every place that thou seest : but in the place 
which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, 
there shalt thou offer thy burnt-offerings, and there 
thou shalt do all that I command thee. Only thy holy 
things which thou hast, and thy vows thou shalt take, 
and go unto the place which the Lord shall choose^' 
(Deut. xii. 13, 14, 26). 

This law was of course promulgated on the anticipation 
of our ancestors taking possession of the Promised Land, 
and could not be obeyed until the erection of the first 
temple in Jerusalem — "the city of David" — which 
was chosen by the Lord as the abiding-place of the arh. 

And in this injunction we again trace the providence 
of the Eternal, in affording us every assistance and 
incitement to render ourselves perfect before Him ; ** the 
ordination and frequent recurrence of the national sacri- 
fices, besides the individual offerings, necessitating con- 
stant attendance at His sanctuary, sustained a spirit of 
religious fervour and a feeling of brotherhood between 
rich and poor: for it undoubtedly was a silent but 
powerful aid, in engendering sentiments of devotion, as 
well as kindly intercourse between those who were thus 
associated in the sacred service. 

Jacob. But how was it possible for the poor to bring 
offerings, which for the most part consisted of bullocks, 
sheep, rams, etc., and all without blemish? I suppose 
though, they were exempt from inability. 

Aunt. Far from it, my boy; think you that He who 
is all just and merciful would have excluded any of His 
children from the blessing of His promised forgiveness; 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 271 

or would Kave refused to receive their humble thanks- 
giving merely because it had pleased Him to deal less 
bountifully with them than with their brethren? Our 
gracious Father has expressly provided for His poor and 
needy; He has so particularized, that none need appear 
empty before Him. In Leviticus v. 7, 11, after naming 
a lamb or a kid for a sin-offering, we find : — 

*' And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall 
bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two 
turtle-doves or two young pigeons unto the Lord; one 
for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering. 
But if he be not able to bring two turtle-doves, or two 
young pigeons, then he that hath sinned shall bring for 
his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a 
sin-offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he 
put any frankincense thereon; for it is a sin-offering." 

Thus you perceive that the poor man's handful of meal 
was as acceptable to the Lord as the rich man's cattle ; it 
was not the quantity, but the quality of the offering that 
marked its value; for it was to be of the best kind, with- 
out blemish, and tendered in a sincere devotional spirit. 
The periodical meetings at the temple on the appointed 
festivals were to be seasons of rejoicing. 

" Three times in a year shall all thy males appear be- 
fore the Lord thy God, in the place which the Lord shall 
choose ; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast 
of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles ; and they shall 
not appear before the Lord empty. Every man shall 
give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord 
. thy God which he hath given thee. — And thou shalt 
rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and 
thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-ser- 
vant and the Levite, that is within thy gates, and the 
stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow that are among 



272 EIGHTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

yoii^ in the place wliicli tlie Lord thj God hatli chosen 
to place his name there" (Deut. xvi. 16^ 17; 11). 

You must now, I think, be able to trace clearly the 
benefit arising from these national sacrifices; the quantity 
and frequency of the offerings affording periodical relief 
and sustenance to the needy, who might otherwise have 
been disregarded by their richer brethren ; but without 
open disobedience to the commands of the Lord, they 
could not evade the obligation to succour those around 
them with a portion of their appointed contributions. 

Rvth. But I thought the offerings, of whatever kind 
they were, belonged solely to the service of God. 

Aunt. They were undoubtedly dedicated to Him, 
my love; but in the regulations for the sacrifices in 
Leviticus and Numbers we find, that with the exception 
of the burnt-offeringj which was to be wholly consumed^ 
thus: — 

"This is the law of the burnt-offering: It is the 
burnt-offering, because of the burning upon the altar 
all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar 
shall be burning in it " (Lev. vi. 9). 

We find that of the trespass and sin-offering, a certain 
portion was appropriated to the priests, Levites and their 
families; the same rule was observed with respect to 
the peace-offerings, of which, however, the remainder was 
consumed by the owners, who were, as we observed 
before, commanded to rejoice before the Lord with their 
kindred, the fatherless, the widow, and the needy : and 
in order that the wholesome flesh of the animals should 
not become tainted, and consequently wasted, it was 
stringently directed to be eaten within a certain period 
of time. 

Jacob. I suppose then, the practice of offering money 
in synagogue, on being called up to the reading of the 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 273 

Law and other occasions, for tlie relief of tlie poor 
generally, and for the benefit of charitable institutions, 
is in the place of the ancient sacrifices; and the custom 
of making ?D1Jin after recovery from severe illness or 
other dangers, is commemorative of the ancient thanks- 
giving-offering. Am I correct in my idea? 

Aunt. Quite so, my boy; we have no longer the 
power or opportunity of bringing our bullocks, sheep, 
rams, etc., to the altar of our God, but we are never- 
theless not exempt from the duty of appropriating a 
portion of our means to His service; we must none 
appear "before Him empty"; it is still incumbent on 
us to give freely, each one according to his ability. Our 
present mode of offering is nearly continuous, emblema- 
tical of the continual burnt-offering; that is to say, 
whenever the Law is read, those persons who are 
honoured by being called up to follow the reader in the 
Sepher, bring their offering to the Lord, by whom the 
poor man's shilling is esteemed of equal value with the 
rich man's sovereign. The thanksgiving-offering is cer- 
tainly commemorated by the custom of making Agomel; 
it, however, I think, rather owes its origin to Psalm 
cvii., which I would recommend you to study atten- 
tively. 

Ruth. On what days is the Law read in synagogue, 
besides the Sabbath-morning and afternoon; and the 
festivals, including Hanucah and Purim? 

Aunt. On new-moon days, fast-days, the middle days 
of festivals, Mondays and Thursdays. There is no ces- 
aj sation in the reading of the Law; the five books of 
gi Moses composing the Pentateuch, are divided into fifty- 
four sections ; namely : — Genesis into twelve, Exodus into 
eleven, Leviticus into ten, Xumbers into ten, and Deutero- 
momy into eleven. And in order, that the whole Law 



274 EIGHTEENTH CONVERSATION". 

may be read through in every twelve months, it is so 
arranged, that on some Sabbaths we rehearse one, and 
on others two portions, according to the number of days 
in the year, commencing on the first Sabbath after the 
Feast of Tabernacles, and closing on the last day of the 
festival. 

Jacob. Is there any reason for our reading the 
Aftorah, or portion from the prophets^ after the Law? 

Aunt. Yes ; the custom originated thus : Antiochus, 
king of Syria^ having conquered Palestine, was so de- 
sirous that the Jews should neglect, and even lose, their 
knowledge of the Law, that he forbade its being read; 
consequently, to compensate themselves as far as possible 
for the loss of the benefit arising from this practice, so 
wisely instituted by Ezra, they substituted sections from 
the prophets, resembling those portions of the Law that 
ought to have been read on the respective Sabbaths, and 
on the resumption of the public reading of the Law, 
this friendly memorial was not cast aside. But 1 hope 
now your budget of questions is exhausted, as it is 
really time to conclude for this evening. 

Jacob. I will only trouble you with one more, when 
I think we shall have satisfied ourselves on all relating 
to this subject. Why do we say an additional service 
(Musaph) on the Sabbath, festivals, and new-moon days ? 

Aunt. Because on those days additional offerings 
were brought to the temple besides the daily sacrifices; 
therefore, as the prophet Hosea, says (xiv 2), "With 
our lips will we replace the steers "; meaning, of course, 
that with our prayers we will supply the place of sa- 
crifices; and now I hope that I have answered your 
enquiries satisfactorily. 



KINETEENTH CONVEESATION. 

ON THE FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 

Aunt. You are already aware, my dear cliildren, that 
the ceremonial observances of our religion are intended 
to perpetuate the remembrance of certain events in our 
former history ; therefore^ we will at once commence our 
definition and discussion of the Festivals and Fasts^ 
particularizing their origin as we proceed. 

Jacob. Are not the chief events of which they are 
intended to remind us, the Exodus, or redemption of 
our ancestors from Egypt; the revelation of the Law 
on Mount Sinai; and the destruction of the temple at 
Jerusalem ? 

Aunt. Exdctly so; but there are a few other points 
in our national history likewise commemorated, that we 
shall notice in due order; and I think, to avoid con- 
fusion, it will be as well, to take the ordinances of each 
month under consideration in succession, whether major 
or minor; therefore, Ruth, my love, explain the origin of 
noa, or the Passover. 

Muth. It is kept in commemoration of the Exodus, 
or departure from Egypt, and commences on the four- 
teenth of the first month, Nissan, at even; when the 
angel of the Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites 
and slew all the first-born of the Egyptians. We are 



276 NINETEENTH CONVERSATION. 

commanded to observe the Passover, or Feast of Un- 
leavened-bread, for seven days every year at tbis period, 
in remembrance of tbis great miracle, and of tbe baste 
v^ritb wbicb our forefathers were at length driven out by 
their oppressors; for they said, "We be all dead men:" 
"And the people took their dough before it was leavened, 
their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes 
upon their shoulders^' (Exod. xii. 34). 

"And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and 
ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord, throughout your 
generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance 
for ever. On the first month, on the fourteenth day of 
the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until 
the one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven 
days shall there be no leaven found in your houses ; for 
whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul 
shall be cut off from the cono-regation of Israel, whether 
he be a stranger or born in the land. Ye shall eat 
nothing leavened, in all your habitations shall ye eat 
unleavened bread" (Ibid. xii. 14, 18 — 21). 

Jacob. I have heard something of the sacrifice of the 
Passover^ and wish you would explain to what it refers, 
though I suppose it has some connection with the pas- 
chal lamb. 

Aunt. Undoubtedly; you must remember that pre- 
vious to the last miracle — the slaying the first-born of 
the Egyptians, — the Lord commanded Moses to make | 
every man, on the tenth day of the month, take a lamb 
a male of the first year without blemish, according to his ' 
family ; or if his household were too small, then he was 
to join with his neighbour in the possession of it. On 
the fourteenth day of the month at even, the lambs' 
were to be sacrificed in the open assembly of the 
Israelites, and the blood was to be sprinkled on thefj 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 277 

door-posts of tlieir respective houses. The flesh was 
then to be eaten the same night, neither raw nor sodden, 
but roast with fire, with unleavened bread and bitter 
herbs. 

• *^And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, 
your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; 
and ye shall eat it in haste; it is the Lord's passover. 
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the 
houses where ye are, and when I see the blood I will 
pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to 
destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt ^' (Ibid. xii. 
11, 13). 

Huth. But surely^ Aunt^ God did not require any 
sign; He is omniscient. 

Aunt. Certainly not, my love; it was wholly unne- 
cessary for His guidance, but not so in His discern- 
ing wisdom, as a test of obedience to the people whom 
He was about to redeem and call to His service. In 
remembrance of this, the paschal lamb was commanded 
to be sacrificed every year, and when the temple yet 
stood, it was so observed on the fourteenth day of Kissan 
at even^ amidL-t .songs of praise and thanksgiving ; the 
flesh being eaten in the respective families the same 
night, as it was ordered that nothing was to be left of 
it till the morning. 

" And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to 
ilH' thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to 
pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean 
ye by this service? That ye shall say^ It is the sacrifice 
of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses 
i# of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote 
»the Egyptians, and delivered our houses" (Ibid, xii. 24, 
26—28). 
' Jacob. I suppose then it is for this reason that the 



278 NINETEENTH CONVERSATION. 

Agadali, or relation of our redemption from Egypt, 
is read on the first and second niglits^ of Passover? 

Aunt. Yes; it is the duty of every head of a family 
to assemble his children, and other Jewish inmates of 
his house around him on those evenings, to partake of 
the wine of sanctification and unleavened cakes, while 
rehearsing the wonderful events relating to our deliver- 
ance, which have been arranged in a set form for that 
purpose; this is termed rn:in, or relation, derived from 
the verb 15i, to relate. 

Ruth. I have now a few questions to ask you about 
this ceremony. In the first place, why are the three 
cakes of unleavened bread used in it called Semoreem ? 

Aunt. Because they are made with particular care on 
the morning only of the eve of Passover, to be used for 
the ceremony of the two first nights of the festival ; the 
word Semoreem is derived from the verb 1^^, to take 
care. 

Jacob. The shank bone of the shoulder of lamb is of 
course commemorative of the paschal lamb ; but to what 
does the egg refer? 

Aunt. You have inferred very correctly respecting 
the lamb -bone, which, as well as the egg, must bej 
roasted on the coals, as the lamb was ordered *' to be] 
roast with fire;" the latter is in memory of the festive! 
sacrifice formerly brought in the Temple. 

JRuth. What is the origin of the Charoseth? 

Aunt. It is a compound of almonds, apples, and othei 
fruits, to remind us of the lime and mortar with whicl 
our ancestors were forced to labour in Egypt; the leti 
tuce, horse radish, or parsley, etc., are also used in remem-| 
brance of the bitter herbs that were eaten with the pas-! 
chal lamb. The passover or feast of unleavened cakes, 
is the first of the three great festivals on which it was] 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 279 

commanded, tliat the males among tlie Israelites should 
bring their offerings to the altar of their God. It is to 
be observed with the greatest particularity; in order to 
insure that no leaven be left unknowingly in our houses 
during the passover, they ought previously to undergo a 
thorough purification; a rigorous search should be insti- 
tuted in our store closets and hoards, and every means 
taken to testify that we are preparing to celebrate the 
festival in memory of the great event of our redemption. 
And here again, we can trace how mercifully all our 
observances are arranged to work for our good ; the 
necessity for avoiding leaven, obliges us at least once in 
the year to purify our dwellings; and among the poorer 
classes this is of no small importance, for their straitened 
means compelling them to congregate in close, unwhole- 
some districts, they would inevitably become the con- 
stant prey of disease, were it not for the cleanliness that 
is made a necessary accompaniment to this, and indeed 
forms a part of all our ceremonies and regulations for 
food, etc. On the morning of the eve of Passover, all 
leaven of what kind soever, spirituous liquors made of 
grain, etc., must be removed out of the house, and all 
the vessels and cooking utensils in ordinary use should 
be locked up until the expiration of the festival; indeed, 
it is right and customary to reserve a distinct set, with a 
separate service of earthenware solely for this period. 
We cannot be too particular in obeying the frequent 
commands respecting this festival. 

'' Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even in 
the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses : 
for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day 
until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from 
Israel. And in the first day there shall be an holy con- 
vocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy 



280 NINETEENTH CONVERSATION. 

convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in 
them, save that which every man must eat, that only 
may be done of you" (Ex. xii. 15 — 17). 

Jacob. We of course keep the second and eighth 
days equally sacred for the reasons you explained to us 
last week, but how are we to regard the middle days? 

Aunt. As half festivals; that is to say, a particular 
service of prayer is appointed for them, but we are per- 
mitted to work thereon, and to pursue the means of our 
support. 

Jacob. Supposing a person were on a voyage at the 
time of the festival of Passover, as he certainly would not 
be able to observe it, would he be held responsible for 
neglect ? 

Aunt. Even for this casualty we are not left unpro- 
vided in our holy law; for we find, 

" If any man of you, or of your posterity, shall be un- 
clean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar 
off, yet he shall keep the Passover unto the Lord. The 
fourteenth day of the SECOND month at even they shall 
keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter 
herbs. They shall leave none of it unto the morning, 
nor break any bone of it.' according to all the ordi- 
nances of the Passover they shall keep it" (Numbers 
ix. 10—13). 

Ruth. We really cannot claim exemption from our 
duties under the plea of ignorance, for every point of our 
religion is so clearly defined, that no room for excuse is 
left us. Does not the ceremony of the redemption of the 
first-born originate, likewise, in our redemption from 
Egypt? 

Aunt. Undoubtedly; for we find, 

'^ And all the first-born of man among thy children 
shalt thou redeem. And it shall be when thy son asketh 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 281 

tliee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou 
shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord 
brought us out of Egypt from the house of bondage: 
And it came to pass when Pharaoh would hardly let us 
go, that the Lord slew all the first-born in the land of 
Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of 
beast: therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that open the 
womb, being males; but all the first-born of my children 
I redeem " (Ex. xiii. 14—16). 

Jacob. Is there any fixed period for the redemption, 
and how is it efiected? 

Aunt. We are commanded to redeem the first-born 
at the expiration of thirty days after his birth ; but you 
must understand clearly, that only in the event of the 
first child being a male is the redemption to take place ; 
for the Lord sanctified the first-born males both of man 
and beast unto himself. 

" And those that are to be redeemed, from a month 
old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for 
the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanc- 
tuary, which is twenty gerahs" (Num. xviii. 16). 

On the day of redemption, the father of the child 
gives to the Cohen (priest) the value of five shekels, which 
is computed as equal to two ounces and a half of pure 
silver. He is not restrained from adding more, but less 
than that value must not be given."^ The priest, having 
taken the money, then says, " I have received from thee 
these five shekels, for the redemption of this thy son; 
and behold, he is therewith redeemed, according to the 
law of Moses and Israel," etc. 

There is still one other observance connected with the 

* See Translation of the Daily Service, by the Rev. D. A. De 
Sola, page 177, note 26. 

U 



282 NINETEENTH CONVERSATION. 

first-born, with which you are, I think, unacquainted; I 
allude to the fast which is observed by them on the day 
preceding the feast of Passover, in commemoration of 
the deliverance of the first-born of our nation, when the 
Lord smote all the first-born of the Egyptians, and, I 
trust, my boy if you are mercifully spared to complete 
the age (13) when it will be incumbent on you to dis- 
charge all the duties of an Israelite, you will readily 
claim your privilege on this occasion. 

Jacob. Will you explain to us the meaning and 
origin of counting the Omer? 

Aunt. An omer was one of the ancient measures; 
and as formerly the harvest commenced much earlier in 
Palestine, immediately after the passover, we were thus^ 
commanded: — " And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 
speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them^ 
when ye be come into the land which I give unto you, 
and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring an 
omer full of the first of your harvest unto the priest. 
And he shall wave the omer before the Lord, to be 
accepted for you: on the morrow after the holy-day 
the priest shall wave it. Ye shall then count from the 
day after the holy-day seven full weeks; viz., from the 
day that you brought the omer of the wave-offering 
seven complete weeks. Even unto the morrow after 
the seventh week shall ye number fifty days, and ye 
shall ofier a new meat-offering unto the Lord" (Lev. 
xxiii. 10—12, 15—17). 

Therefore, although we can no longer bring our 
wave-offerings to the altar, we still obey the precept to 
count forty-nine days from the second night of pas- 
sover; repeatirig the blessing of the omer at the addition 
of every successive day, and on the fiftieth we celebrate 
the Pentecost. 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 283 

Jacob. That is in the third month, Sivan; but is 
there no festival in the second month, lyar? 

Aunt, No; it is not noted for any particular obser- 
vance ; the chief point to be remarked on is, that on the 
eighteenth, or thirty-third day of the Omer, iDy? y>\ a 
heavy pestilence and mortality that had been prevailing 
among the Jews entirely ceased. We will now proceed 
to niVIlK^, Pentecost, or the feast of weeks; so called 
from the seven weeks which we count from the second 
day of Passover till this period. 

Ruth. On the sixth and seventh of the third month, 
Sivan, we celebrate the Pentecost, in commemoration of 
the Divine Revelation on Mount Sinai; when the Ten 
Commandments were publicly announced to our fore- 
fathers, by the voice of the Eternal from the midst of 
the fire. 

*' In the third month after the children of Israel had 
gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day they 
came into the wilderness of Sinai" (Ex. xix. 1). 

Aunt. Although we have already enlarged very con- 
siderably on this subject, in our conversation on the eighth 
article of our creed — "The Revelation of the Law^^ — 
I cannot refrain from saying a few w^ords more, to im- 
press on your minds the peculiar sanctity attaching to 
this festival, which perpetuates the remembrance of an 
event unparalleled in the annals of the world; of a bles- 
sing and gift so transcendant as has never before or since 
been vouchsafed to any other nation than ourselves. 

"And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them. 
Hear, Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak 
in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep 
and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant 
with us in Horeb. The Lord talked with you face to face 



284 NINETEENTH CONVERSATION. 

in tlie mount, out of the midst of the fire" (Deut. v. 
1,2,4). 

With the revelation of the law^ which emanating from 
the infinite wisdom of our gracious God is complete and 
perfect in its most minute details, we have been provided 
with an infallible guide. We have been invested with 
the power and means of preserving ourselves a "kingdom 
of priests and a holy nation." So manifold are the pre- 
cepts laid down for our direction, that as you, my dear 
Euth, very justly observed, we dare not advance the plea 
of ignorance for neglect of our duties; for our merciful 
Father, in His provident care for the eternal welfare of 
the people whom He had chosen for Himself, left us no 
broad outline to fill up according to our erring judgment; 
the regulations for social intercourse are equally particular- 
ised with those for our political government. And not 
only has the Eternal, our Lord, thus revealed to us His 
will in every point of our conduct ; but, having provided 
us with the means of attaining it, He has held out so 
unexampled a reward for our obedience, that if we reflect 
seriously on the spirit of the following words, which He 
addressed to our forefathers through His prophet Moses, 
we must at once feel that no sacrifice, no efibrts can be 
too great to render ourselves worthy of such a distinction. 

" Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and 
keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure 
unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine" 
(Ex. xix. 5). 

The Pentecost, or feast of weeks, is the second of the 
festivals on which the males of the congregation were 
commanded to bring their free-will oflerings to the 
tabernacle of the Lord. 

Jacob, Was it not also called DniS^n DV, the day of the 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 285 

first ripe fruits^ because it was then usual to bring an offer- 
ing of tlie first fruits to the temple ? 

Aunt. Yes ; for we are commanded : — 

" The first of the first-fruits of thy land thou shalt 
bring into the house of the Lord thy God'^ (Ex. xxiii. 19). 

" Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee; begin to 
number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest 
to put the sickle to the corn. And thou shalt celebrate 
the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute 
of a freewill-offering of thine hand, which thou shalt 
give unto the Lord thy God according as the Lord thy 
God hath blessed thee'' (Deut. xvi. 9—11). 

" And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it 
may be an holy convocation unto you ; ye shall do no 
servile work therein, it shall he a statute for ever in all 
your dwellings throughout your generations" (Lev. 
xxiii. 21). 

Ruth. Is not the history of my namesake, Kuth_, read 
on this festival? 

Aunt. Yes, my love; and I can wish you nothing 
better than to imitate your virtuous ancestress in her 
piety and faith ; for a more beautiful and touching ex- 
ample can scarcely be held up to our emulation. With 
what earnestness and affection did she refuse to forsake 
her mother-in-law, Naomi, when in the deepest affliction 
she was preparing to return to her own country widowed, 
childless and indigent ! And yet Euth was not originally 
one of our nation ! she was a Moabitess by birth ; but 
her heart had been opened to the worship of the One 
Sole God ; her soul had been enlightened to understand 
and appreciate the sublime doctrines of the Unity; an 
alien to the faith of her fathers, she clave unto Naomi, 
saying:— 

" Do not press me to leave thee, and to return from 



286 NINETEENTH CONVERSATION. 

following thee ; for wherever thou goest, thither will I 
go ; wherever thou lodgest, there also will I lodge : thy 
people is now my people, and thy God my God. Where 
thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried; may 
the Lord punish me thus^ and more also, if aught but 
death shall part thee and me" (Ruth i. 16 — 18). 

Would; my dear children, that we, the true descendants 
of Israel, had but a portion of the steady faith that nerved 
Ruth to adhere to her mother-in-law ! Would that we 
could thus earnestly withstand persuasion and temptation 
to go astray from our duty, and that, in the same spirit 
in which she acted, we could not only resolve (the first 
important step) but persist in stedfastly cleaving to the 
Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul ! 

Jacob. Was not King David a descendant of Ruth? 

Aunt. Undoubtedly. On her marrying Boaz, the 
kinsman of her late husband, the Lord was pleased to 
grant her a son who was named Obed; he became the 
father of Jesse, whose youngest son, David, was selected 
by the Almighty to be king over Israel; and from his 
race we are taught to anticipate, from the words of the 
prophets, that the King-Messiah — the Redeemer will 
arise. 

" And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of 
Jesse, and a scion from his roots shall sprout forth. And 
on that day it shall be the root out of Jesse, who shall 
stand for an ensign to the nations; after him shall the 
nations enquire, and his rest shall be glorious^^ (Isa. 
xi. 1, 10). 

Ruth. What is the meaning of the Azharoth? 

Aunt. The " Azharoth'' or admonitions, is a poem 
composed by Rabbi Solomon Ben Gabirol, rehearsing 
the affirmative and negative precepts of our holy law; 
the former are read in synagogue before the afternoon 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 287 

service of the first day of Pentecost, and the latter on 
the second day; and we cannot but acknowledge that a 
more appropriate and beneficial practice could scarcely 
have been devised, than thus to place succintly before us 
the leading features of that blessed revelation, the anni- 
versary of the bestowal of which on our highly-favoured 
nation^ we celebrate on this festival. The next observance 
we shall have now to notice, is the fast on the seventeenth 
day of the fourth month, Tamuz. 

Jacob. Is this commanded in the Bible, or instituted 
by the Eabbins, Aunt; I do not remember having heard 
of it before, and why is it observed? 

Aunt. It is one of the fast-days, or days of penance 
that we are ordered to observe, in memory of the sins of 
our ancestors, and of the misfortunes that befel them in 
consequence on certain occasions; the institution is of 
ancient date ; for we find : — 

''■ And the word of the Lord of Hosts came unto me, 
saying, thus saith the Lord of Hosts; the fast of the 
fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of 
the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be to the 
house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; 
therefore love the truth and peace'' (Zech. viii. 18 — 20). 

Therefore, you perceive that these fasts are directly 
mentioned by the prophet in the name of the Lord_, and 
were consequently authorised by Him; although not 
forming part of the revelation on Sinai. We observe 
the fast of the seventeenth of Tamuz, because it is the 
anniversary of the day on which Jerusalem was taken by 
the Eomans, previous to the destruction of the second 
temple. It is also said, that the same day of the month 
commemorates, though of course at different periods, the 
two tables of stone having been broken by Moses when 
he came down from the mount — the daily sacrifice 



288 NINETEENTH CONVERSATION. 

having ceased from the first temple — a code or Eoll of 
the Holy Law having been burnt, and an image placed in 
the temple. This month is remarkable for disastrous events ;, 
for on the ninth day the city of Jerusalem was taken by 
Nebuchadnezzar^ after a siege of eighteen months, prepara- 
tory to burning the first temple, which occurred on the 
tenth of the following month, Ab. I shall leave you to 
gather the full particulars of this event from the last 
chapter of Jeremiah, as we cannot enlarge further this 
evening. 



TWENTIETH CONVERSATION. 

THE FESTIVALS AND FASTS — continued. 

Jacob. "VYe are, I think, to commence this evening 
with the Fast of Ab. On the ninth day of the fifth 
month Ab, we observe a Fast (called in scripture the 
fast of the fifth month), in commemoration of the con- 
quest of Jerusalem, and the destruction of the second 
temple by the Roman Emperor, Titus. It is remarkable, 
as we said before, that the following day, the tenth, is 
the anniversary of the burning of the first temple by 
Nebuchadnezzar. 

^^Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the 
month, which ivas the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, 
king of Babylon^ came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the 
guard which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, 
And burned the house of the Lord, and the king^s 
house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the 
houses of the great men, burned he with fire^^ (Jer. 
lii. 12—14). 

Aunt. This season is truly one of mournful remem- 
brance to the Israelites. Although the space of years 
intervened, yet were the months of Tamuz and Ab, 
marked as the epochs on which the direst calamities 
befell our nation. Grievous, indeed, is the retrospec- 
tion of the blessings we have twice forfeited, through 
our wilful disregard of the laws of God. When we but 



290 TWENTIETH CONVERSATION. 

think through, what signal mercies our forefathers had 
been redeemed from Egypt, led and sustained in the 
wilderness, and finally established in Palestine; when 
we reflect on the temporal prosperity that was granted 
them; on the priesthood, the temple service, the poli- 
tical government that was organised by them; can we 
wonder at the grief of the prophet Jeremiah, which he 
pours forth so pathetically, on witnessing the realization 
of the prophecy, he had been deputed by the Lord to 
announce respecting Jerusalem and her rebellious chil- 
dren? 

' ' Ha ! how sits she so solitary, the city that was so 
populous, she has become like a widow; the great 
among the nations, the princess of provinces has become 
tributary " (Lam. i. 1). 

*'How hath the Lord covered the daughters of 
Zion with a cloud in His anger, and cast down from 
heaven upon the earth the beauty of Israel, and re- 
membered not His footstool in the day of His anger ! ^^ 
{Ibid.'±l). 

Does it not rather strike us as inconceivable, that our 
ancestors, after having undergone such severe punish- 
ment and heart-rending aflfiiction, in retribution for 
their sins, should on being restored to their country 
and privileges at the expiration of the seventy years of 
captivity, have again relapsed into their former prac- 
tices and exceeded even their past wickedness? They 
forgot the desolation they had experienced when captives 
amid strange lands; they no longer called to mind their 
yearning longing to behold once again the walls of 
Jerusalem, the Holy city, thus exquisitely described by 
the Psalmist: — 

" By the ruins of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, 
we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our 



FESTIVALS AND TASTS. 291 

harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there 
they that carried us away captive required of us a song; 
and they that wasted us required of us mirth; saying^ 
Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing 
the Lord^s song in a strange land? If I forget thee^ 

Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If 

1 do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the 
roof of my mouth ; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my 
chief joy " (Ps. cxxxvii. I — 7). 

The remnant of the Jews again trod the streets of 
Zion: the temple was rebuilt, although not on so splen- 
did a scale as the one destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar; the 
Hebrew worship was restored under the wise Ezra and 
his associates; the past appeared but a dream, for the 
Israelites continued for many years in peaceable posses- 
sion of their inheritance under the protection of the 
kings of Persia and some of the Grecian princes of 
Egypt and Syria, governed internally by chiefs chosen 
from among themselves. But at length dispersion and 
discord broke out among them ; brother raised his hand 
against brother; the desire for individual aggrandizement 
and power^ superseded that of the general welfare, and 
strangers (the Komans) were at last called in to settle 
their fierce disputes. Alas^ for the day when it became 
necessary to resort to such a measure ! Our unhappy 
ancestors little thought that in seeking an umpire for 
their sinful quarrels, they were providing themselves 
with a chastening rod, from which they would vainly 
strive to escape. It was the will of God that their sins 
should again meet their deserved retribution, and that^ 
from the hands of those from whom they had hoped for 
succour. The Eomans, once allowed to behold the fer- 
tility of Palestine, to feast their eyes on the splendour of 
the temple, on the riches of the Holy City, were not 



292 TWENTIETH CONVERSATION". 

likely, to maintain, for any lengtKened period, the mask 
of friendship they had at first assumed. The transition 
from coveting, to making themselves masters of such de- 
sirable possessions, was but a simple step; legion after 
legion soon poured into our devoted land; and then only 
when the sword was unsheathed, did our nation awake 
to the awful truth, that to themselves alone would be 
owing the dire calamities, which it required no great 
amount of prescience to foresee, would befall them ; for 
they dared not entertain any hope of assistance from 
Above, knowing but too well, how they had outraged 
all the laws of God, making even a traffic of the exalted 
office of High-priest, which was to have been an ever- 
lasting inheritance of the descendants of Aaron. 
Still, though hopeless of success, the patriotism of the 
Jews was in the final struggle revived, and almost super- 
human effiDrts were made to repulse their adversaries, 
and prevent their setting foot in the Holy City; but 
in vain : the decree of the Eternal had gone forth ; the 
prophecy of Moses was about to be fulfilled : the horrors 
which he so faithfully portrayed were about to overwhelm 
the rebellious and ungrateful nation. On the seven- 
teenth of Tamuz, the Romans penetrated into the city, 
encountering at every step the fiercest resistance; famine 
and pestilence united with the sword in decimating the 
remnant of Israel; still inch by inch was the sacred 
ground contested, to the precincts of the temple, till 
on the ninth day of Ab towards sunset, in the year of 
the world 3728, a Roman soldier (it is said against the 
commands of Titus) threw a fire-brand into the sanctuary, 
and thus speedily reduced the holy edifice to a blazing 
pile of ruins. With its last expiring embers, departed 
every vestige of our national honour and glory ; captives 
and slaves were we dispersed, weary wanderers through- 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 293 

out the globe, to bear the burden of our iniquities, until 
such time as we shall be found worthy to hear the words 
of the Lord: — 

" Comfort ye, comfort ye my people^ saith your God. 
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem^ and cry unto her, 
that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is 
pardoned : for she hath received of the Lord's hand 
double for all her sins^' (Isaiah xl. 1 — 3). 

Ruth. Why that is the commencement of the 
Aftorah, we read on the sabbath after the fast ! 

Aunt. You are quite correct; having mourned for the 
downfall of our glory, we on the following sabbath, and 
indeed for six others, until the new year, rehearse the 
consolatory promises so mercifully held out to us in 
Isaiah. 

Jacob. Is there any particular service of prayer on 
this fast? and I suppose the Hechal, or ark where the 
rolls of the law are deposited_, being hung with black on 
this occasion, is intended as a sign of mourning and 
desolation? 

Aunt. You have surmised very rightly; the ark is 
hung with the drapery of the dead in the month of Ab^ 
in memory of the misfortune that befel our nation on 
that day; particular prayers for the occasion are likewise 
introduced into the service, and we read the Lamenta- 
tions of Jeremiah both in the evening and morning. 
Although these exquisitely pathetic outpourings of an 
afflicted spirit, were written by the prophet in reference 
to the destruction of the first temple and conquest of 
Jerusalem^ to which he was himself a witness, they are 
equally applicable to the occurrences, and descriptive of 
the calamities accompanying the second visitation, which 
it pleased the Almighty to send us for our renewed sins, 
the consequences of which we are still enduring in our 



294 TWENTIETH CONVERSATION". 

present captivity. Independent of realizing the regret 
and affliction wliicli are so eloquently expressed by Jere- 
miali, for the destruction of our holy city and the down- 
fall of our national glory, it would be well for us indeed, . 
did we equally and sincerely join in his pious aspirations 
and humble submission. Where shall we find words 
more appropriate^ more fit to express our gratitude for 
past mercies, our trust and humble dependence on our 
God and Creator, than in the following verses? — 

^' It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not con- 
sumed^ because His compassions fail not. The Lord is 
good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul thai 
seeketh Him. For the Lord will not cast off for ever: 
But though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion 
according to the multitude of His mercies. For He 
doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. 
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the 
punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our 
ways and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our 
heart with our hands unto God in the heavens " (Lam. iii. 
22, 25, 31—34, 40—42). 

The next and sixth month, Elul, is remarkable for 
no further particular observance than that additional 
penitential prayers are read in the synagogues, in order to 
prepare for the coming season of repentance and devotion. 

Jacob. We have now arrived at the seventh month 
Tishri; which is, however, the first in our civil year, 
reckoning from the creation, and in commemoration of 
that event, we celebrate the Festival of nJJ^n ^ii.1, or 
the beginning of the year, on the first two days of this 
month. 

Ruth. Is not this festival likewise called in Scripture^ 
the Day of Eemembrance, and the Day of Sounding the 
Cornet? for we find : — 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 295 

"And tlie Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto 
the cliildren of Israel, saying, In tlie seventh month, in 
the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a 
memorial of sounding the cornet, a holy convocation. 
Ye shall do no servile work "J.herein : but ye shall ofier 
an offering made by fire unto the Lord " (Lev. xxiii. 
23—26). 

" And in the seventh month, on the first day of the 
month, ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no 
servile work ; it is a day of sounding of the^cornet unto 
you " (Num. xxix. 1). 

"Will you explain the origin of this ceremony, and the 
circumstances it is intended to commemorate? Of what 
is it a memorial? 

Aunt, In the first place, you will remember my men- 
tioning to you, that our forefathers in past ages, previous 
to the revelation of Sinai, were accustomed to the use 
of certain symbols and emblems, in common with the 
nations among whom they were sojourning; therefore did 
our gracious God still permit such as were innocent in 
their import, to form part of the ceremonies of the Law, 
as being already familiarized to their minds ; and in refe- 
rence to the custom of blowing the Shophar or cornet 
(which is a sounding instrument made of a ram^s horn), 
on the anniversary of the creation, when we acknow- 
ledge anew our God and Creator, we find that such was 
the practice in Palestine, when appointing a chief or 
king; thus 1 Kings i. 39 — 

'^ And Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out of the 
tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they sounded 
the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king 
Solomon." 

Jacob. This explains the verse in Numbers, but I do 
not see that it does the one in Leviticus. " On the 



296 TWENTIETH CONVERSATION. 

first day of the seventh month shall be to you a day of 
rest, of sounding the cornet in remembrance." Of what 
is it a remembrance? 

Aunt. Of an event that should awaken the deepest 
sentiments of admiration and devotion in our hearts; 
that should rouse our enthusiasm, and incite us to shew 
ourselves equally ready and submissively willing to yield 
up our every wish and possession, if called upon to do so 
for the service of our God, as was Abraham his pious 
servant. I allude to the intended sacrifice of Isaac on 
Mount Moriah. Let us make a slight retrospection of 
the life of the first patriarch, to whose virtues we are 
indebted for the distinction of our selection as *^the 
chosen of the Lord.^^ We know how he was taken from 
his country, and established in the land of Canaan; and 
have already rehearsed the gracious promises held out to 
him, all of which he saw in course of realization; for he 
was prosperous in worldly afikirs — his name was great 
among the nations ; and as a crowning blessing, at the 
advanced age of a hundred years, the Lord had bestowed 
on him a son by his wife Sarah; telling him, that *'^in 
Isaac his seed should be called." Now, although Abraham 
had borne himself with exemplary virtue through the 
many trials he had encountered, God was pleased to make 
one more test of his principles and obedience — to prove 
that he whom He had chosen to be the father of His 
people, was indeed worthy of such a reward — unequalled 
in faith — ready to yield his all to the will of his God. 
And it was no slight effort that was required of him ; 
not only were his parental feelings to be lacerated, but 
his trust and faith in the Lord was to be exercised in no 
ordinary degree. 

Ruth. Yes, I see that; because as he had been pro- 
mised that *'his descendants should be as the stars of 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 297 

lieaven for multitude/^ and that *'in Isaac his seed should 
be called/' the command to sacrifice him, his only son, 
certainly appeared to extinguish his hopes. 

Aunt. And this is the point to which I would have 
you give particular attention, my dear children; for it 
affords a lesson we can none study too closely. Did the 
patriarch murmur at this decree, so seemingly contra- 
dicting the promise held out to him? Did he waver in 
his obedience? Far from it: though shrinking from 
feelings of natural affection, he knew that God is All- 
just and All-wise, and therefore bowed his head in hum- 
ble submission, leaving the future in His hands. And 
amply was he rewarded ; for it was not the mere sacrifice 
that was required of him, but the readiness to obey; 
therefore, at the moment, when with unswerving faith 
but afflicted heart, the aged patriarch prepared to strike 
the awful blow that would deprive him of his beloved 
son — the child of his old age, his outstretched hand was 
suddenly arrested by a voice from heaven ; — 

'* And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of 
heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham; and he said. Here 
am I. And he said. Lay not thine hand upon the lad, 
neither do thou anything unto him ; for now I know that 
thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, 
thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his 
eyes and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in 
a thicket by his horns : and Abraham went and took the 
ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead 
of his son" (Gen. xxii. 11 — 14). 

We, therefore, blow the Shophar, or ram's horn, as a 
memorial of this memorable event; and it should also 
convey another meaning to our minds not less important 
in its teaching. The festival of the New Year, my dear 
children, is one of no ordinary solemnity; it is one that 

X 



298 TWENTIETH CONVERSATION. 

we should regard rather as the appointed season for 
serious meditation^ than careless rejoicing. At every 
recurrence of the first of Tishri, let us remember that 
another year will have passed over our heads, for every 
second of which we shall have to render a strict reckon- 
ing. Should not this call forth reflection? Are we 
prepared^to account satisfactorily for the deeds of the past 
twelve months? Can we look back securely, and feel 
that we have done our utmost to deserve the mercy of our 
God, in permitting us to live and assemble again in His 
sanctuary on this day of remembrance? Let us take 
ourselves to task. Have we amended our faults, or 
striven to do so — have we submitted unmurmuringly to 
the dispensations He has thought fit to appoint us — 
have we displayed but a portion of the spirit of obedience 
that animated our virtuous ancestor, or have we hesi- 
tated and refused to sacrifice our wishes and inclinations, 
when they became opposed to the laws of God? These, 
my children, are questions that every one should ask his 
own heart with sincerity of purpose to face the truth ; for 
this is the season of repentance. On the tenth day of 
this month, are we commanded to make atonement before 
the Lord ; therefore should we again regard the Shophar 
as a friendly monitor, whose voice is sent to warn us to 
look into our hearts, and to repent in time ; for says the 
prophet, — 

" Should the cornet be blown in a city and the people 
not tremble?" (Amos iii. 6). 

The first ten days of the New Year are called the 
penitential days, on which there are supplicatory prayers 
introduced into the daily service. 

Ruth, Shall we now proceed to the Day of Atone- 
ment, which is I think the next observance ? 

Junt, No, we shall not discuss it this evening; as we 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 299 

have previously to notice another fast on the third of this 
month, in memory of the murder of Gedaliah. 

Jacobs Who was he_, and on what occasion was he 
murdered ? 

Aunt. After the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchad- 
nezzar, when Zedekiah^ the last king of Judah, was 
carried captive to Babylon with the majority of the 
Jews, Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, was appointed chief 
of the Israelites yet remaining in their own country; for 
Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard of the Chaldeans, had 
left the poor of the people and given them fields and 
vineyards to cultivate; and when all the Jews that were 
in the land of Moab, and among the Ammonites, heard 
that a remnant of Judah had been left in the land^ and 
that Gedaliah, who had been made their ruler, governed 
them with wisdom and mildness, they returned from the 
various places whither they had been driven, and joined 
their brethren. Now it was told Gedaliah, by Johanan, 
the son o£ Kareah, that Baalis, king of the Ammonites, 
had sent Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, to slay him, and 
he entreated that he might be permitted to kill him se- 
cretly, in order to prevent this, and the consequent misery 
that would ensue to the Israelites. 

" But Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, said unto Johanan, 
the son of Kareah, thou shalt not do this thing : for thou 
speakest falsely of Ishmae?^ (Jer. xl. 16). 

But unhappily his confidence was ill requited; for in 
the seventh month, Ishmael with ten princes of the land 
came to Gedaliah at Mizpah; and there, after partaking 
of food together, which would necessarily have disarmed 
suspicion, he, and his associates slew him and all the 
Jews that were with him. It is, therefore, in remem- 
brance of this cruel murder, that a fast is observed on 



300 TWENTIETH CONVERSATION. 

the third of Tishri, called in Scripture ''the fast of 
the fifth month." 

Jacob. I should like to ask two more questions be- 
fore we conclude^ which however, I must tell you 
scarcely belong to this subject ; but as they may escape 
my memory, I am sure you will gratify me by replying 
to them at once. In speaking of the murder of Geda- 
liah_, you said that Ishmael having eaten bread with him 
must have disarmed all suspicion. Had you any par- 
ticular meaning, or was it a mere casual observation? 

Aunt. I was certainly referring in my own mind to a 
very interesting ancient eastern custom,, with which I think 
you are unacquainted ; to one that was peculiarly calculated 
to engender kindly feelings, to promote confidence and 
union ; and it is^ I believe, still observed among the 
Arabs of the present day. I allude to the duty that was 
assumed to be consequent on having either dispensed or 
enjoyed the sacred rites of hospitality, when the act of 
eating bread and salt in common, was considered to seal 
a mutual bond of friendship and peace. To sit at the 
same board, and partake of food with another, was 
deemed a sufficient safeguard by either party from 
treachery or evil designs, and very rarely was this 
friendly compact violated ; even in the trackless paths of 
the desert, where neither Divine nor human laws were 
recognised, the traveller who was fortunate enough to 
have once shared the bread and salt of Arab hospitality, 
was henceforth safe from the rapaciousness and violence 
of either the chief, or his marauding associates; there- 
fore you perceive, that this custom being generally re- 
cognised, effectually checked any idea of treachery on 
the part of Ishmael. Now for your second query. 

Jacob. In reading through the books of the prophets 
Jeremiah and Hosea, we meet constant references to 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 301 

Epliraim. I sliould like to know why he is more par- 
ticularized than the other tribes; and, in fact, what is 
intended to be understood by it? 

Aunt. I suppose you allude to such as the following 
verses. 

" Ihave surely heard Ephraim lonely bemoaning himself 
thus: Thou hast chastened me; yea, I was chastened as 
a young bullock untrained to the yoke : turn thou me 
and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord, my God '^ 
(Jer. xxxi. 18). 

'^How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I 
deliver thee, Israel?" (Hosea xi. 8). 

You are both of course aware, that the twelve tribes 
of Israel were united under one government, and formed 
in fact but one kingdom under the rule of the three first 
kings, Saul, David, and Solomon. After his death, at 
the commencement of the reign of his son Kehoboam, 
the ten tribes revolted, leaving only Judah under his 
rule ; and, as had been foretold by Ahijah the pro- 
phet, they ranged themselves under Jeroboam, the son 
of Nebat, of the tribe of Ephraim, proclaiming him their 
king; for which reason Ephraim and Israel may gene- 
rally be regarded as synonymous terms. Judah is men- 
tioned individually, therefore there can be no miscon- 
ception on that score. 

'' Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? Judah, 
what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a 
morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away '' 
(Hosea vi. 4). 

If the whole nation be referred to, it is usually under 
the title of Jacob or Israel. 

And now, I must beg with all due courtesy to dismiss 
this meeting. 



TWENTY-FIRST CONVERSATION. 

THE FESTIVALS AND FASTS — continued. 

Aunt. The solemn ^^ Day of Atonement '^ will be tlie 
first subject for wbicb I shall bespeak your earnest atten- 
tion this evenings my dear children ; and I trust that the 
due consideration of the duties necessarily consequent on 
its faithful observance, will call forth many serious and 
lasting reflections, causing us to recognise and appreciate 
the enduring provident mercy of our Heavenly Father, 
who has commanded us to set apart this day — the holiest 
throughout the year — for devotion, repentance, and 
atonement. We will, in the first instance, look to the ori- 
gin of this sacred institution, which in one respect stands 
alone, distinct from any of the festivals and observances 
commanded in the law; and I should be very glad if 
you could discover and tell me what constitutes the iso- 
lation to which I allude. 

Jacob. I can only imagine you refer to the fact, that 
they are all ordered to be celebrated in commemoration 
of some particular events,, whereas the Day of Atone- 
ment is quite independent of any worldly association : it 
is a day appointed by the Lord, to be consecrated wholly 
to His service ; on which we are to abstain ^entirely from 
food, labour, or amusement; and are to sanctify our- 
selves by sincere repentance, forgiving all those who 
have injured us, as we pray and hope to be forgiven 
ourselves. 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 303 

Annt. You have interpreted my meaning very rightly, 
my boy; and now Kuth, I should like you to rehearse 
the commands for the observance of this solemn ordi- 
nance. 

Ruth. The origin and institution of the Day of 
Atonement, called in Hebrew TlSSn U)\ is first men- 
tioned in Leviticus. 

*^ And it shall be unto you a statute for ever: in the 
seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall 
afflict your souls, and do no work at all; whether it be 
one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth 
among you. For on that day shall the priest make an 
atonement for you to cleanse you, that ye may be clean 
from all your sins before the Lord. It shall be a sabbath 
of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a 
s.tatute for ever" (Lev. xvi. 29—32). 

And again we find : — 

*' And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto 
the children of Israel, saying. Also on the tenth day of 
this seventh month, there shall be a day of atonement, it 
shall be a holy convocation unto you ; and ye shall afflict 
your souls, and offer a burnt-offering unto the Lord. 
And ye shall do no work in that same day ; for it is a 
day of atonement ; to make an atonement for you before 
the Lord your God. For whatsoever soul it be that 
shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut 
off from among his people. And every soul that doeth 
any work on that same day,'that soul will I destroy from 
among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work : it 
shall be a statute for ever throughout all your genera- 
tions and in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a 
sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls; on the 
ninth day of the seventh month at even, from even 



304 TWENTY-FIRST CONYERSATION. 

unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath " (Lev. xxiii. 
26—33). 

This is the law for the observance of the Day of 
Atonement; but I should be really glad, Aunt, if you 
would enter more into detail as to its intent and pur- 
pose; for I cannot exactly reconcile the idea of our sins 
being pardoned yearly, at the expiration of this one day 
of prayer and fasting, with your former explanation of 
rewards and punishments after death. 

Aunt. T am pleased you have at once mentioned your 
perplexity, and should much regret were you to retain 
an erroneous impression of this important subject; and 
I trust to prove to you shortly, that this day " of remis- 
sion of sins" in no way militates against any one point of 
our belief previously discussed : to the contrary, it is closely 
connected with the one you have named, and we should 
welcome it with earnest feelings of reverence and grati- 
tude, as a special token of mercy vouchsafed to us by 
our Creator, who thus obliges us to pause and reflect on 
at least one day. We should regard it as a haven of 
safety, which He has provided for us on the brink of the 
fearful precipice of irreligion and sin^ down which, our 
either unconscious or reckless steps hasten to precipitate 
us. And now, I must tell you, that you are completely 
in error with regard to all our sins being remitted at 
the conclusion of the Day of Atonement, as the conse- 
quence of our mere abstinence from food, and repetition of 
prayei'S and supplications during the specified twenty-four 
hours. 

Jacob. Why, we are expressly commanded to fast? 

Aunt. Exactly so; but we arc also shewn that fast- 
ing is but the outward mark of obedience — that, like the 
sacrifices, it would be of no avail if unaccompanied by 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 305 

past sins and earnest purpose of amendment. We are 
told tlirough Isaiah : — 

*' Is such, then, the fast which I choose, a day that a 
man should afflict his soul? when he should bow down 
his head like a bulrush, and spread sackcloth and ashes 
for his couch ? Shall this be called a fast, and a day- 
acceptable to the Lord? Is not this^ rather, the fast 
which I choose ? to dissolve the bands of wickedness ; to 
loosen the oppressive burdens; and to let the oppressed 
go free? and that ye should break asunder every yoke? 
Is it not to distribute thy bread to the hungry? and to 
bring the miserably afflicted poor into thy house? when 
thou seest the naked that thou clothe him, and that thou 
hide not thyself from thine own flesh ? Then shall thy 
light break forth like the morning; and [thy health shall 
spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go 
forth before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall receive 
thee. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord will answer ; 
thou shalt cry, and He will say, Lo, I am here " (Isaiah 
Iviii. 5-9). 

Jacob. But in Leviticus xvi. 30, we read — 

*' For on that day shall the priest make an atonement 
for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all 
your sins before the Lord." 

Now does not that appear unconditional? 

Aunt. From misunderstanding the sense of this verse, 
you have placed the emphasis on the wrong word; it is 
thus that we are to understand it. For the sins only that 
we have committed against the Lord are we assured of 
forgiveness on the day of Atonement, if we sincerely 
repent and confess them; we hope and anticipate that 
those of which we are guilty towards our fellow creatures, 
will likewise be pardoned, but only in the event of our 
making all the reparation in our power. Before ventur- 



306 TWENTY-FIRST CONVERSATION. 

ing to appear in tlie presence of our God, to supplicate 
His pardon, we must strive to purify our hearts, to bend 
our stubborn will and pride, not only to forgive those 
who have injured us, but likewise to ask forgiveness of 
those whom we have injured; if we have lived on un- 
friendly terms with our neighbour, it is our duty to hold 
out the hand of fellowship to him. 

Ruth. But he may not choose to meet our friendly 
advances, and then we shall have humbled ourselves 
without any result? 

Aunt. You have not given yourself time to reflect, 
my love, or I am sure you would not have given utter- 
ance to so heedless a remark. Can any of the commands 
of God be without aim or result? If unhappily our 
neighbour refuse to respond to our friendly overtures, 
the sin of disobedience will rest with him. Our gracious 
God will not hold us accountable for the failure of our 
efforts; He will be satisfied if we have in all sincerity 
striven to perform the duty He has enjoined on us. 

Jacobs I see now, you wish us to understand, that we 
are to do right, because God has so commanded us, and. 
are not to be influenced by motives of expediency in the 
performance of His will. He has laid down certain rules 
of conduct for our observance, and they alone are to 
guide our actions. 

Aunt. By this explanation I perceive that you are 
now pretty well aware of the means, through which we 
can alone hope to receive pardon for our sins on the day 
of Atonement ; and therefore trust you will be henceforth 
enabled to appreciate the great blessing of this sacred, 
ordinance, through which we have every year another 
chance afforded us, of retrieving our past misdeeds, and of 
commencing a new life of virtue ; — of increasing our 
claim to the rewards, and diminishing the register of our 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 307 

sins, involving tlie punisliments whicli we believe will 
be awarded us in a future state of existence. 

Ruth. I remember now that we are told in Ezekiel, 
if the wicked turn from his iniquities, *' all his transgres- 
sions that he hath committed shall not be remembered 
unto him ; in his righteousness that he hath done shall 
he live" (xviii. 22). 

Aunt. You must, then_, I am sure^ clearly recognise 
the inexhaustible mercy of the Eternal, who, " like as a 
father pitieth his children/' knowing the weakness and 
infirmities of our nature, affords us every help and in- 
ducement to retrace our erring steps, and provides us 
with an anchor of hope, to buoy us up, and prevent our 
being engulphed in the turbulent billows of our unre- 
strained evil passions. This is a season of peculiar so- 
lemnity; from the first day of the New Year, when the 
voice of the Shophar bids us awake from our apathy, the 
preparations for the day of Atonement should commence. 
As you may readily suppose, I do not allude to worldly 
arrangements; but to the preparation and purifying of 
the heart; and as we mentioned before, additional sup- 
plicatory prayers are introduced into our worship from 
the first until the tenth of Tishri^ these being termed the 
*' Penitential days," on which it is right and customary 
to refrain from all frivolous amusements, or in fact, to 
make, or partake of any rejoicing. We should rather 
enter into a strict examination of our conduct during the 
past year, extenuating nothing, but seeking eagerly the 
only remedy left us — repentance and atonement; re- 
sponding gratefully to these words : — 

" Therefore also saith the Lord, Eeturn ye to me with 
all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping and 
with mourning; and rend your heart and not your gar- 
ments, and return unto the Lord your God : for He is 



308 TWENTY-FIRST CONVERSATION. 

gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kind- 
ness, and repentetli of the evil" (Joel ii. 12 — 14). 

Jacob. We certainly cannot plead tlie excuse of ignor- 
ance as to what is required of us, for the Scriptures are 
full of admonitions, warning us that a change of conduct 
is the first step necessary ; thus 'we find : — 

" Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul 
hateth : they are a trouble unto me : I am weary to bear 
them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will 
hide my eyes from you ; yea_, when ye make many prayers 
I will not hear; your hands are full of blood. Wash 
yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of 
your doings from before my eyes ; cease to do evil " 
(Isa.i. 14-17). 

Was not the day of Atonement marked by special 
sacrifices and offerings in ancient times? 

Aunt. Yes, when the Israelites were in their own 
land, the service for this sacred day was equally solemn 
and splendid; it was the only day throughout the year, 
on which the High Priest was permitted to enter the 
most holy sanctuary of the temple, the " Holy of Holies," 
or to pronounce the awful name of the Eternal, which at 
any other time it was unlawful for him to utter. The 
sixteenth chapter of Leviticus contains the order of ser- 
vice, and is read in Synagogue. With feelings of awe 
and reverence, we approach the eve of this sacred fast ; 
at sunset we take our last bodily refreshment for twenty- 
four hours, implore and receive our parents' benediction, 
and grasp each other with the hand of friendship. How 
solemn, how thrilling is that moment, when we are thus 
preparing as it were, to take leave of our earthly ties 
before presenting ourselves in the sanctuary of the Lord, 
with our every feeling laid bare before Him ! We look 
around, and cling to our loved ones, raising our hearts in 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 309 

speechless gratitude for those whom He has thought fit 
in His goodness still to spare to us, and striving submis- 
sively to restrain the rising agony _, awakened by the sight 
of the vacant place^ by the memory of the missing ones, 
whose love may have gladdened us the preceding year. 
At such a moment, the belief in our immortal nature 
must strike deep into our hearts — we must feel that not 
for mere perishable clay was such an ordinance insti- 
tuted ; — not without some glorious aim are our spirits 
invited to enter into communion with our God : we 
cannot fail to raise our thoughts beyond this sublunary 
sphere ; — to behold arrayed before us that hereafter so 
undoubtedly and mercifully held out to the true and 
worthy IsraelitCo By the most unobservant, the most 
callous, the day of Atonement is regarded in a reverential 
light ; they feel that they dare not, that they cannot 
forget or pass it over. Although they may not appre- 
ciate its duties and blessings to their full extent, still a 
certain feeling of awe restrains them from following their 
usual pursuits ; — they attend the Synagogue on this 
one, if on no other day, and many indeed there are, who 
fix this period for the commencement of reformation. 
We certainly could not select a more impressive one, but 
is it right to wait for any appointed time to commence 
our work? — have we a lease of life, that we so boldly 
determine when we will begin to reform, and how know 
we that we shall be permitted to meet the coming fast? 
Eeflections such as these, my dear children, should 
accompany us everywhere; then should we not seek to 
defer our repentance_, neither should we be so ready to 
break through the good resolutions, which I feel sure 
almost every one among us inwardly makes on this solemn 
day. The prophet Micah vi. 8, tells us: — 

" It has been told to thee, man, what is good, and 



310 TWENTY-FIRST CONVERSATION. 

what the Lord requires of thee: it is but to do justice^ 
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.'^ 

If we succeed in acting thus, we may then confidently 
trust in the promise that concludes the service of this 
fast : — 

" Whatever weapon is formed against thee, it shall 
not prosper ; and against every tongue that contendeth 
with thee thou shalt obtain thy cause. This is the heri- 
tage of the Lord's servants, and their justification of me, 
saith the Lord. They shall come, and shall declare unto 
a people yet unborn, how righteous He is and what He 
hath done" (Isaiah liv. 17). 

" Go eat thy bread in joy; and drink thy wine with a 
merry heart; for God hath already accepted thy deeds" 
(Ecc. ix. 7). 

We will now, I think, proceed to the Feast of Taber- 
nacles, which is the last observance in this month. 

Ruth. On the 14th day of the seventh month Tishri, 
at even, commences the festival of niDD or Tabernacles, 
which we are commanded to celebrate annually at this 
period, by dwelling in tents or tabernacles for seven 
days, in commemoration of our forefathers' redemption 
from Egypt, and journeyings through the wilderness, 
where they -were obliged to erect booths or temporary 
houses, having no fixed place of sojourn. How is it that 
we do not obey this injunction more strictly? There are 
but few who dwell in a Tabernacle even in the day time; 
and I believe they are very rarely slept in. 

Aunt. The changeable nature of the northern climate, 
so difierent to the mild temperature of our own land 
(Palestine), where the command was promulgated, is the 
cause of its not being more fully observed; as from the 
peculiar construction of the Tabernacle, the variable and 
inclement state of the atmosphere at this season (the fall 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 311 

of the year), would prove most injurious to health. 
Although you have both visited one several times, I 
know not if you are aware that it is necessary to erect it 
in the open air, and that it must likewise be merely 
roofed in slightly, in order to admit a view of the 
heavens and luminaries; so that to the rain and wind it is 
equally accessible. Still, although from sanitary motives 
we do not wholly dwell in the Tabernacle^ you must un- 
derstand that it is incumbent on us to obey to the extent 
of our power; we should take our meals under its shelter, 
and if that be not always possible, it is at least the duty 
of every male to partake of food, and to say the blessing 
once daily within its walls, during the festival, for we 
are told: — 

'* Ye shall dwell in booths seven days: all that are 
Israelites bom shall dwell in booths: that your genera- 
tions may know that I made the children of Israel to 
dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of 
Egypt: I am the Lord your God^^ (Lev. xxiii. 42 — 44). 

Jacob, This is the last of the three festivals on which 
it ^was obligatory on the males among the Israelites, 
to present themselves in the sanctuary of the Lord with 
their offerings ; and it is also called the Feast of Inga- 
thering ; for we find : — 

" Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven 
days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy 
wine" (Deut.xvi. 13). 

But I do not rightly understand when the Festival of 
Succoth ends,, because we observe nine days. 

Aunt. That can be very easily explained, but we 
will first take our authority from Scripture^ and I can 
then enter into details. 

*' The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the 
children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this 



312 TWENTY-FIEST CONVERSATION. 

seventli month, shall be tlie feast of tabernacles /or seven 
days unto the Lord. On the first day shall he a holy 
convocation; ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven 
'days shall ye offer an offering 'made by fire unto the 
Lord " (Lev. xxiii. 33—36). 

"But observe that on the fifteenth day of the seventh 
month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, 
ye must celebrate a feast unto the Lord for seven days: 
the first day shall be a day of rest, and the eighth day 
shall also be a day of rest. And fye shall take unto you, 
on the first day, the fruit of goodly trees, branches of 
palm trees, the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the 
brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God 
seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord 
seven days in every year, it shall be a statute for ever 
unto your generations, ye are to celebrate it in the 
seventh month " {Ibid. 39—42). 

You will observe that the Feast of Tabernacles closes 
on the seventh day, after which it is no longer obliga- 
tory to use the Succah. The eighth day is a separate 
festival, forming a continuation of that of Tabernacles 
and is called the "Day of Solemn Assembly"; thus: — 

" On the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto 
you, and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the 
Lord ; it is a solemn assembly, and ye shall do no servile 
•work thereon " (Ibid. 36). Also: — 

" On the eighth day, ye shall have a solemn as- 
sembly. Ye shall do no servile work therein " (Num. 
xxix. 35). 

On that day, a prayer for rain and a favourable sea- 
son forms part of the service in Synagogue. You will 
therefore, observe that the first and second are held as 
days of "holy convocation '^ ; there are then four mid- 
dle days or half-festivals, on which, like Passover, it is 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 313 

lawful to work and follow our usual pursuits and amuse- 
ments; the seventh day, Hoshana-rabba, has a special 
service of prayer, to which 1 will refer shortly; but I 
should remark to you, that we are permitted to occupy 
ourselves as on the other middle days until sunset, 
when the eve of the " Day of Solemn Assembly" com- 
mences. 

Jacob. Thus far is very clear; but there is still 
another day to be accounted for ; why is the ninth called 
Simchath Torah? 

Aunt, Because it literally is observed as a day of 
** rejoicing for the Law." You, of course, remember 
my telling you that the five books of the Pentateuch 
are divided into portions, and read throughout each 
year; the last, containing the "blessing of Moses," is 
reserved for the ninth day of Tabernacles; but in order 
to pay due honour and respect to the Law, we celebrate 
the conclusion and recommencement of its reading, by 
certain pleasing and impressive ceremonies. In former 
times, when our temple stood in all its glory, it was cus- 
tomary in Jerusalem to celebrate the Simchath Torah 
with brilliant illuminations and festivities. We have it 
in our power to offer but a feeble imitation : still we do 
not wholly pass it over. Two persons are appointed in 
each synagogue to fill the ofiices of Chatan Torah, or 
Bridegroom of the Law, w^ho closes the reading of the 
past year, and Chatan Bereshith, or Bridegroom of Bere- 
shith, who commences the reading of the new year, with 
the first chapter of Genesis. On the mornings of Sim- 
chath Torah and Bereshith, there is no restriction in the 
number of persons to be called up to the reading of the 
Law; and it has been customary (though of course not 
obligatory), for the Chatanim to mark their appreciation 
of the distinction conferred on them, by providing a 

Y 



314 TWENTY-FIRST CONVERSATION. 

festive repast for their friends at the termination of tHe 
service. The eve of Simchath Torah is marked in some 
congregations, by all the rolls of Law being taken out of 
the Hechal, and carried round the synagogue in pro- 
cession, psalms of praise and thanksgiving being chaunted 
during the time. 

Ruth. Will you now explain ' the reason we make 
use of the Loolab during the Feast of Tabernacles, and 
what it is intended to signify? 

Aunt. In the first place, you must understand, my 
love, that although, for the sake of brevity, we only 
mention the Loolab even in the blessing, the citron, 
myrtle, and willow of the brook are included with the 
palm branch.* "We are commanded in Scripture, to take 
of these four productions of the vegetable kingdom, and 
'^to rejoice before the Lord seven days^'; but no expla- 
nation in added, consequently we have but to obey in 
unreasoning faith, that the Source from whence the 
command emanated is Infallible ; and although the short- 
sightedness of human penetration may fail to discover 
the signification and beneficial tendency of this ordi- 
nance, we can have no doubt of its being in some hidden 
respect adapted to our welfare; we can, at least, render 
it so ourselves, by making it call forth our faithful 
obedience. Our learned Kabbins have formed many in- 
teresting conjectures on this subject, but being merely 
surmises, I will not enter further on it, than simply to 
mention, that by some the four vegetable productions 
are regarded as symbolical of the human body, — by 
others, of the nation of the Israelites. In former times 
they were used in the following manner, and the custom 
has descended to us, as you must have frequently ob- 



* Loolab signifies a bundle of branches. 



x^l 



FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 315 

served in synagogue. The palm brancli, myrtle, and 
willow, being united in one bunch, are taken in the 
right hand^ and the citron in the left, and are thus waved 
three times each towards the east, west, north and south, 
upwards and downwards at certain portions of the 
prayers. 

Ruth. I have heard this custom termed ridiculous, 
as conveying no meaning. 

Aunt. Not by members of our own community, I 
trust, my love ; the obvious intent of outwardly testifying 
our obedience to the command, should at least meet 
with respect from ourselves : in thus pointing towards the 
four quarters of the globe, towards heaven and earth, I 
can see nothing to call forth ridicule ; my impression is, 
that we thus make an outward sign of acknowledgment, 
corresponding with our prayers, of the all-wise bene- 
ficence of our Almighty God, that pervades every atom 
of this beautiful world of His Creation ; that we thus sig- 
nificantly recognise in every portion of this mundane 
sphere, the Eternal Being, the working of whose spirit 
is alike discoverable in the glories of the firmament 
as in the hidden recesses of the earth, and in the treasures 
of the unfathomable deep. Let us, my dear children, 
look at our religion in its true light ; when we shall find 
that every observance, however peculiar, bears within 
itself the stamp of heavenly wisdom and mercy. 

Jacoh. What are the Hoshanas said throughout the 
Feast of Tabernacles? 

Aunt. They are prayers for Salvation, composed of 
poetical pieces recording the works and attributes of the 
Almighty, with passages from the histories of the pa- 
triarchs and of Israel. A different one (with the excep- 
tion of the introduction) is said daily, the incidents 
being arranged according to the numerical quantity of 



316 TWENTY-FIRST CONVERSATION. 

the day of the feast, exclusive of the Sabbath, when 
applicable psalms are substituted. During the reading 
of the first part, the ministers, rabbis, and wardens, cir- 
cumambulate the synagogue in solemn procession, with 
the Loolab, etc., in commemoration of the procession 
of priests round the altar in the Temple. This is omit- 
ted on the Sabbath as it is not lawful to carry the Loolab 
on that day.^ 

Jacoh. On the seventh day, " Hoshana Eabbah'^ is 
a grand ceremonial; seven rolls of the Law are taken 
out of the Hechal, and seven circuits take place round 
the synagogue, similar to those we have just mentioned, 
during which the first part of each Hoshana is repeated, 
and poetical pieces in honour of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 
Moses, Aaron, Phineas, and David are said in succession, 
while the Shophar is sounded at certain periods of the 
prayers. 

Aunt. You have given a very fair description of 
the principal ceremonies of this solemn day, and now, 
having, I think, pretty well exhausted the subject of 
the Feast of Tabernacles, we will defer the discussion 
of Hanucah until next week. And I will only further 
remark, that the eighth month, Marchesvan, is noted 
for no particular occurrence: it was in ancient times 
termed the rain month, being so specified in Scripture. 

* Condensed from Note I., Vol. IV., Tabernacle Service; trans- 
lated by the Rev. D. A. De Sola. 



J 



TWENTY-SECOND CONVERSATION. 

THE FESTIVALS CONCLUDED. — OTHER OBSERVANCES. 

Jacob. Another Sabbatli Eve, Auntj^ and what a 
change have the last few days made in our anticipations 
of the future ! To think that our dear parents are actually 
on their voyage home, and that within a month we may 
hope to embrace them ! I have really scarcely been able 
to fix my attention to my studies at all during this 
week ; but Mr. Harrison was most kind ; for after I had 
explained the reason of my distraction^ as the French 
would term it, he said it was very excusable, and that 
he would trust me to make up for lost time when my joy 
had exploded sufficiently. 

Ruth. I feel quite bewildered, and cannot realize the 
truth of the intelligence we have received ; after expect- 
ing that dear Papa and Mamma would be obliged to 
remain abroad some years, to find them so unexpectedly 
returning home, appears almost too good news to prove 
a reality; the only drawback to our happiness, will be 
the necessary separation from you, dear Aunty, who have 
so well and kindly supplied their love and care, and have 
taken such pains to improve and render us deserving of 
their approbation. But you will often come and stay 
with us, will you not? and for a long time together; 
for, indeed, we cannot part with you entirely, and I am 
sure you will miss your little nephew and niece^ although 



318 TWENTY-SECOND CONVERSATION. 

I am afraid tbey have at times given you a great deal of 
trouble. 

Aunt. My own dear children, how can I express the 
gratification your earnest affection affords me! Most 
warmly do I sympathise in the visions of happiness in 
which you are so naturally indulging, in the anticipation 
of being re-united to your beloved parents; and although 
I shall indeed miss my little wards as my daily com- 
panions, will hope that we shall yet spend many happy 
days together_, as I can foresee that I shall frequently 
succumb to the powerful magnet of affection that will 
attract me to your house. 

Jacob. From whence, you may rest assured your own 
mischievous boy will not suffer you to escape very easily ; 
but now we must really make the most of our time_, or 
We shall not conclude the discussion of the remaining 
subjects on our register of enquiries, which 1 should very 
much regret; and we can only reckon on two more 
sabbath evenings before our dear parents' arrival. The 
festival of Dedication is our next point of consideration ; 
it commences on the twenty-fifth of the ninth month, 
Kislev, and is celebrated for eight days in commemoration 
of the re-consecration of the temple at Jerusalem, after 
it had been defiled by the Greeks; but I do not exactly 
know the particulars; I wish you would be kind enough 
to give us a sketch of the events to which this festival 
owes its origin ; for I believe it is not a biblical ordinance. 

Aunt. I will, for the present, give you a short abstract 
of the principal points, and will afterwards shew you a 
more detailed and most interesting account of this period, 
both in Josephus' and Milman's History of the Jews. 
You have undoubtedly heard of the Maccabees ? 

Ruth. Yes: they were five brothers; Johanan, 
Simeon, Judas, Eleazar and Jonathan, the sons of 



FESTIVALS AND OTHER OBSERVANCES. 319 

Mattathias, an aged man, a descendant of Phinelias ; and 
I believe they were cliiefly instrumental in freeing our 
ancestors from the yoke of Antiochus, king of Syria. 

Aunt, Your impression is quite correct; and we will 
now look to the cause that called forth their patriotism. 
The Jews, who had for a lengthened period enjoyed 
comparative peace and comfort^ under the mild govern- 
ment of the three first Ptolemies, suddenly found them- 
selves, on the founding of the Syro-Grecian kingdom by 
Seleucus_, and the establishment of Antioch as the capital, 
placed in the unenviable position of a common mark for 
two cross fires; the Egyptians and Syro-Grecians alter- 
nately wresting the land from each other. Internal 
divisions were added to foreign tyranny, and on the 
accession of Antiochus, surnamed " Epiphanes, the 
Illustrious," to the throne of Syria, the princes of Judea 
unfortunately appealed to his arbitration and implored 
his aid. This was, in a measure, voluntarily casting 
themselves into the lion's den, for uniting in his cha- 
racter the extreme of voluptuousness with bigotry and 
cruelty, he determined, if possible, to exterminate the 
Jewish religion, and to substitute that of the Greeks. 
Fearful, indeed, were the scenes that took place; brought 
<3n and aggravated by our sinful disregard of the com- 
mands of God, who had decreed that the office of high 
priest should be perpetuated in the descendants of 
Aaron, whereas it was made the subject of venal traffic, 
and conferred on the highest bidder. Joshua, who had 
assumed the Grecian name of Jason, and Onias, that of 
Menelaus, were the rival competitors, the latter being 
successful from the richer bribes he was enabled to offer. 
■Still the nation was not wholly corrupt: discontent 
against the illegal high priest, who had thus usurped the 
dignity in opposition to the Divine will, caused an in- 



320 TWENTr-SECOND CONVERSATION. 



1 



surrection to break out, whidi^ being magnified into a 
revolt against Antiochus, so aroused his anger that be 
marched without delay to Jerusalem, put to death forty 
thousand of the inhabitants in three days, and sold 
nearly as many more for slaves. He next entered 
the temple, stripped it of its consecrated utensils and 
treasures ; caused unclean animals to be sacrificed on 
the altar, and desecrated it in every possible manner. In 
fact, he determined to exterminate the whole Hebrew 
race under his rule; and his savage deputy, Apollonius, 
was neither loth nor slow to carry out his ruthless de- 
signs. The unfortunate Jews were massacred by whole- 
sale on the Sabbath, while assembled at their religious 
devotions ; those who had escaped the sword were obliged 
to flee in all directions, without food or shelter; they 
were glad to hide from their foes in the clefts of rocks, 
or dismantled ruins. Public worship was at an end; 
for all the Mosaic rites were strictly prohibited; and, ta 
crown the whole, a statue of Jupiter Olympus was erected 
on the altar of burnt-offering, and an edict issued, com- 
manding uniformity of worship throughout the kingdom 
under penalty of torture and death. The cup of misery 
was well nigh full, and had bowed the heads of our an- 
cestors to the dust, when this one last drop caused the 
brimming chalice to overflow — broke the spell that had 
enthralled their energies, and aroused anew their spirit 
of devotion and patriotism. The aged Mattathias, 
with his five noble sons prepared to resist the will of the 
cruel despot, refusing absolutely to conform to the wor- 
ship of idols ; and striking the first blow at an apostate, 
who with dastard cowardice bowed his head before 
"wood and stone" in the presence of his indignant coun- 
trymen. The spark once ignited, quickly expanded 
into a blaze. From all quarters the people gathered 



FESTIVALS AND OTHEK OBSERVANCES. 321 

round tlieir venerable leader^ who, sallying forth from 
the mountain fastnesses where he had entrenched him- 
self, attacked the foe by surprise, and gained many 
signal victories. But the ancient hero, Mattathias, did 
not long survive his first successes. He shortly expired, 
bequeathing his command to the most valiant of his 
sons, Judas, surnamed ^'Maccabseus." 

Jacob. Is there any reason for his having borne that 
name ? 

Aunt. It is supposed, that it originated in the in- 
scription on his banner, the initials of the words form- 
ing the word ^2D?3. 

Ruth. But what then was the inscription? 

Aunt. 'T\ D^^Xl niD3 "-D. " Who is like unto thee 
among the mighty, Lord?" (Ex. xv. 11.) 

The new leader, Judas, was in every respect worthy 
of the dignity conferred on him. Uniting prudence with 
valour, he made the most of every advantage, acting 
strictly in conformity with our law in every respect; 
and, at length, having gained a decisive victory over 
Lysias, the king's lieutenant, he had the happiness of 
once more entering Jerusalem. But, alas ! what a pic- 
ture of desolation was presented to the eyes of our un- 
happy ancestors ! They found the gates of the Temple 
burnt, the sanctuary abandoned, and endless traces of 
desecration within its sacred walls. Still, with heartfelt 
gratitude and renewed fervour, did they prepare to 
repair, cleanse, and reconsecrate the House of the Lord. 
The holy utensils, and, in fact, all the necessary accom- 
paniments to our worship were made anew, and replaced 
in the sanctuary, and the temple was again inaugurated 
on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month Kislev, pre- 
cisely three years after its profanation by Antiochus. 
We learn from tradition, that Judas not being able to 



322 TWENTY-SECOND CONVERSATION. 

find any consecrated oil wlierewitli to light tlie sacred 
lamps, and of course fearful of using any that had been 
defiled by the idolaters, found himself in a great di- 
lemma, when a small jar of oil with the seal of a former 
high priest was discovered untouched^ and although the 
quantity it contained was barely enough for once, yet by 
the blessing of the Lord, like the widow's cruise, it 
proved sufficient for our need^ its consumption pro- 
videntially lasting a whole week, during which time 
new oil was obtained and consecrated. 

Jacob. Of course, then, it is in commemoration of this 
miracle^ that we light lamps in the synagogue and our 
dwellings, during the eight days of this festival? 

Aunt. Exactly: our ancestors instituted the festival 
of Hanucah, or the Inauguration, and ordered that it 
should be observed annually, as a memorial of the mercy 
of the Lord in rescuing His people, and redeeming His 
religion from desecration. For this reason, we sing the 
Hallel, and introduce a prayer of thanksgiving into the 
m^Dy, and the grace after meals. We will now proceed 
to the tenth month Tebeth, on the tenth day of which a 
fast is observed, called in Scripture the fast of the tenth 
month, chiefly because that on this day Nebuchadnezzar, 
king of Babylon, commenced the siege of Jerusalem, 
during the time of the first temple. 

*' And it came to pass in the ninth year of his (Zede- 
kiah's) reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the 
month, that Nebuchadnezzar came, he, and all his host, 
against Jerusalem, and pitched against it ; and they 
built forts against it round about" (2 Kings xxv. 1). 

The eleventh month Shebat is not remarkable for 
any occurrence in our history; but on the thirteenth of 
the last month, either Adar, or Ve-Adar, if it be a leap 
year, we observe a fast that is intended to remind us 



FESTIVALS AND OTHER OBSERVANCES. 323 

of tlie memorable fast that Queen Esther imposed on 
herself and all the Jewish inhabitants of Shushan, when 
they were threatened with destruction through the ma- 
chinations of Haman^ prime minister to Ahasuerus, king 
of Persia. 

Ruth. I was not aware that there was a fast pre- 
ceding the festival of Purim, which, of course we know, 
is celebrated as a period of great rejoicing on the four- 
teenth and fifteenth of this month, in commemoration of 
the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from destruc- 
tion, through the agency of Mordecai and Queen Esther. 
We are well acquainted with this interesting recital, 
which is, indeed, copied like a roll of the law with the 
greatest exactitude on vellum, and read aloud in the 
Synagogues as part of the service, both in the evening 
and following morning. 

Jacob. Oh ! you allude to the Meglllah, which it is 
the height of my ambition to read; but it is written 
without points^ like the law ; and I cannot master it yet. 
Does not this festival take its name from TlQ lot, because 
Haman, who had obtained an edict from King Aha- 
suerus to exterminate all the Jews in his dominions, in 
order to revenge himself for Mordecai^ s refusal to bow 
down before him, cast lots to discover on what day his 
designs would prove successful? 

Aunt. Yes ; and have we not, indeed, cause for 
grateful rejoicing, that through the mercy of our Hea- 
venly Father, the utter futility of his superstitious prac- 
tices was openly displayed, in the defeat of his sinister 
plots, the deliverance of our ancestors, his destined vic- 
tims, and his own ignominious death on the same gibbet he 
had prepared for Mordecai? This interesting portion of 
our history is so familiar to every child, and so simply 
related in the book of Esther that we need only advert 



324 TWENTY-SECOND CONVERSATION. 

to the more prominent features, sucli as Mordecai's 
appeal to Queen Esther to interfere on behalf of her 
afflicted brethren, at which she at first demurred, fearing 
to incur the penalty of death by entering the royal pre- 
sence uncalled for, when he gave her this earnest warn- 
ing, for I must tell you that she was not known as a 
Jewess : — 

" Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the 
king's house more than all the Jews. For if thou alto- 
gether boldest thy peace at this time, then shall there 
enlargement and deliverance arise for the Jews from 
another place, but thou and thy father's house shall be 
destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come 
to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther iv. 
13—15). 

What a lesson does this afford us, my dear children ! 
What a warning against ascribing any, even the most 
apparently trivial events to the regulation o^ chance! the 
ways of the Lord are, indeed, inscrutable; He disdains 
not to make use of the most humble instruments to work 
out His will, and the agency of the simple Jewish 
maiden, who had been selected from among all the beau- 
ties of the empire to become the queen and partner of the 
throne of Ahasuerus, was as efficacious in His hands as 
the most powerful miracle ; for we all know the sequel ; 
how, through her skilful management, having prepared 
herself by a solemn fast and prayers for support from on 
High, the designs of Haman were revealed in their true 
light to the monarch, and entirely circumvented; also, 
how the Guardian of Israel so ordered events as to cause 
him to become acquainted with the unrequited services 
of Mordecai, the preserver of his life, who was imme- 
diately recompensed as "the man whom the king de- 
lighteth to honour;" thus proclaimed to the astonished 



FESTIVALS AND OTHER OBSERVANCES. 325 

inhabitants of Shuslian by the mouth of his haughty 
enemy, who terminated his life on the same gibbet he 
had erected for the detested Israelite. The king having 
graciously acceded to the entreaties of Queen Esther, 
who had revealed her faith, in revoking the edict for the 
destruction of her people, likewise empowered them to 
revenge themselves on their would-be destroyers. In 
memory of this signal deliverance : — 

" The Jews ordained, and took upon themselves, and 
upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves 
unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep 
those two days according to the writing, and according 
to their appointed time every year. And that these days 
should be remembered and kept throughout every gene- 
ration, every family, every province, and every city; 
and that these days of Purim should not fail from among 
the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their 
seed^' (Esther ix. 27— 29), 

I should observe to you, that, unlike the festivals under 
the Mosaic code, we are permitted to work and follow 
our usual pursuits, merely marking them as days of re- 
joicing and gladness, introducing psalms of praise and 
thanksgiving into our prayers. It is customary to be- 
stow gifts on the poor at this season; so that all the 
house of Israel may rejoice alike on the days kept in 
memorial of the Providential mercy that converted " our 
sorrow into joy."*^ 

Jacob. As we have now regularly gone through the 
observances of the year, we should be glad if you would 
next explain the origin and signification of the Tzitzith, 
Tephillin, and Mezuzoth. I am particularly anxious to 
be well informed on this subject; for, although I know 
they ai^e commanded in our law, I am not sufficiently 
conversant with the particulars to be able to quote our 



326 TWENTY-SECOND CONVERSATION. 

authority; and I regretted this extremely the other 
day, when I heard them spoken of by some of our class 
boys as superstitious customs, charms, etc. 

Aunt. It is possible that to strangers, aliens to our 
faith, there may appear a peculiarity in some of our 
observances; seeing nothing but what meets the eye, 
diving no deeper than the surface, any unusual practice 
for which no apparent reason is discernible, is unfortu- 
nately frequently ascribed to superstition or bigotry ; but 
although the misapprehension of those on whom the 
obligation to understand and obey the precepts of our 
Holy Law is not binding, may be excusable, far different 
is our position; it is our duty to study and seek to com- 
prehend, as far as is permitted us, the dictates of that 
blessed Eevelation, so peculiarly vouchsafed to our na- 
tion, and which is openly displayed to our enquiries, 
in the inspired pages of Scripture; so that in being 
cognizant of, and acting on them ourselves, we may at 
the same time be enabled to controvert the erroneous 
opinion, and deteriorating remarks of the uninformed 
superficial observer, so wounding in their disrespectful 
tendency to the feelings of every true Israelite. Is it 
probable, my dear children, that He who commanded us, 
saying :— 

" Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. For 
these nations which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto 
observers of times and unto diviners; but as for thee, 
the Lord thy God has not suffered thee so to do " 
(Deut.xviii. 13— 15). 

Is it, think you, then, probable that our God would 
have prescribed any rites for our observance, that ap- 
proached in the slightest degree the verge of that super- 
stition so stringently forbidden? We know and feel 
that it is not so ; and are, therefore, bound to testify our 



FESTIVALS AND OTHER OBSERVANCES. 32? 

appreciation of their extreme value to the world, by 
an earnest respectful practice. We will now commence 
with the Tzitzith, which signifies fringes \ and I think 
you can tell me the origin of this observance. 

Jacob. Oh yes; it is in the last portion of the 
Shemang : — 

" And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto 
the children of Israel, and bid them to make themselves 
fringes in the borders of their garments, throughout 
their generations, and that they put upon the fringes of 
the borders a thread of blue " (Num. xv. 37). 

I suppose this is meant for the Talleth or cloak, that 
is worn in synagogue by all the males ; but then what is 
the four-cornered garment, worn under our upper vest- 
ments, that also has fringes? 

Aunt. They both form part of the same observance. 
When in our own land, the Israelites wore the fringes 
upon the corners of their cloaks at all times; but since 
our dispersion, when it became dangerous to be known 
as JewSj the four-cornered garment to which you allude, 
called also HIQiD yi")t? has been substituted, so that we 
are enabled to carry out this precept constantly, without 
exposing ourselves to public notice. As the purple 
colour ri?Dn^ is no longer known, we are unable to com- 
ply with this provision of the Law; the fringes are 
therefore composed of eight white strings only. 

Ruth. But then, what is the use of the Talleth? 

Aunt. Notwithstanding its being incumbent on all 
the males of Israel, to wear the four-cornered garment, 
which is done in a measure privately, it is likewise 
obligatory that we should testify our obedience out- 
wardly, both as a mark of respect, and as an example 
to each other; therefore the Talleth, or cloak, with the 
like fringes attached to it, is worn during public wor- 



328 TWENTY-SECOND CONVERSATION. 

ship in tlie synagogues and other places of devotional 
meetings, in the day time, but not at night, except on 
certain occasions, which it is not necessary to specify- 
now. We should regard these fringes as marks of re- 
membrance ; and if we make use of them in the sense in 
which we are commanded, we may then, indeed, grate- 
fully acknowledge them to be a charm to preserve us 
from our inclinations, for we are told in continuation of 
the ordinance; — 

*' And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may 
look upon it, and remember all the commandments of 
the Lord, and execute them ; and that ye seek not after 
the inclinations of your heart, and the delight of your 
eyes, in the pursuit of which ye have been led astray, 
that ye may remember, and execute all my command- 
ments, and be holy unto your God. I am the Lord 
your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 
to be your God. I am the Lord your God " {Ibid 
39, to end). 

Jacob. What is the origin of the Tephillin, and in 
what do they consist? 

Aunt. AVe are commanded to bind the chief com- 
mandment of the Mosaic religion on the hand and fore- 
head, that in doing so we may have the words of the 
Lord constantly present to our minds : — 

" And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy 
hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes " 
(Deut vi. 8). 

The Tephillin consist of two cubic-formed parchment 
cases, in which four paragraphs from the Pentateuch 
written on parchment are enclosed. Leather thongs are 
fixed on these two cases, of which one is laid on the 
left arm, just above the elbow, the other on the fore- 
head. The last is closely fitted round the head, and 



FESTIVALS AND OTHER OBSERVANCES. 329 

liangs down on botli sides round the neck, tlie for- 
mer is wound seven times round| tlie left arm, and 
three times round tlie middle finger.^ It is the duty 
of every Jew, above the age of thirteen, to lay the 
Tephillin every day, with the exception of Sabbaths and 
holidays. 

Jacob. These directions are I suppose laid down in 
the oral law, as we do not find the particular mode of 
using the Tephillin specified in Scripture; but now will 
you shew us the paragraphs enclosed in them. 

Aunt. Yes; these rules are handed down to us 
through tradition, they have descended from father to 
;son, and if you will turn to the thirteenth chapter of 
Exodus, verses 2 — 11, commencing, ^* Sanctify unto me 
all the first-born"; you wdll find that the first paragraph 
records the redemption from Egypt, the ordinance of the 
Passover, and the command for the Tephillin. The 
next extract, ihid. 11 — 17, contains the command for 
the redemption of the first-born, enjoining again, in con- 
clusion, the use of the Tephillin. As we have already 
recited most of these passages in connection with the 
Festival of Passover, it is not necessary to recapitulate 
them now. The grand and sublime principle of our 
faith is next recorded, Deut. vi. 4 — 10. 

Jacob, You of course allude to the unity of God, 
that is proclaimed at the commencement of the She- 
mang, which it is scarcely necessary to rehearse, being 
:S0 familiar to our minds. 

Ruth. I should nevertheless prefer reciting this first 
portion, as, if I mistake not, it contains the command 
for the Mezzuzoth. 

Aunt. The repetition of the Shemang can never be 
otherwise than beneficial to us, my dear children, for it 
is our duty to make constant and diligent study of the 

z 



330 TWENTY-SECOND CONVERSATION. 

precepts it comprises^ so tliat we may never be at a loss 
to understand and practise tliem; indeed, the repetition 
of tliis prayer, is one of tlie Mosaic precepts, and must 
be read by every Israelite both morning and evening 
daily. 

Ruth. The first portion^ 4 — 10, then, proclaims the 
Divine Unity, the injunction to study and teach the Law 
at all times, the command for the Tephillin, and for the 
Mezzuzoth : — 

^' Hear, Israel 1 the Lord our God is one Lord. 
(Blessed be the name of the glory of his kingdom for 
ever and ever !) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all 
thy might. And these words, which I command thee 
this day, shall be in thy heart : and thou shalt teach 
them diligently unto thy children, and shalt speak of 
them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou 
walkest by the way; when thou liest down, and when 
thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign 
upon thy hand; and they shall be as frontlets between 
thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts 
of thy house, and upon thy gates." 

Jacob. Then, in fact, the word DTITD literally means 
door-posts, and not the scroll that is attached to 
them ? 

Aunt. Yes, that is the real signification of the word, 
but it is always used as synonymous with the observance. 
The last paragraph enclosed in the Tephillin, contains a. 
strong warning against idolatry, and at the same time a 
repetition of the injunction to study and teach the law 
at all times, binding it upon our hands, placing it as 
frontlets between our eyes, and writing it on our door- 
posts, so that our monitor and guide may be ever at our 
side and before our eyes. (Deut. xi. 13 — 22.) 



FESTIVALS AND OTHER OBSERVANCES. 331 

Jacob. I should like to know of wliat the MezzuzotL. 
really consists, what is inside the little glass reed affixed 
to our door-posts? 

Aunt. It contains a small roll of parchment on which 
are written the iwo last-mentioned paragraphs ; it is rolled 
up from the right to the left, and the word nsi' is written 
on the outside^ which is visible through an aperture left 
in the case, the intention being that in raising our eyes 
to our door-posts, on entering or quitting our dwellings 
and apartments, we should ever be reminded of the 
greatness, power, and omniscience of the Almighty. 
We must now bring this long discussion to a close ; but I 
would advise you to consult together, and make a me- 
morandum of the remaining subjects on which you 
would like to consult your elected " D.D.," who will 
shortly retire from office, resigning you into other and 
more efficient hands. 



TWENTY-THIED CONVERSATION. 

ON MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 

Ruth. I hope you are prepared with an inexhaustible 
fund of patience this evening, Aunt; for we have done 
our best to provide you with the necessity for it, in the 
long list of subjects we have noted down for discussion, 
and willj if j^'ou have no objectien, commence with the 
regulations for food, of which we have not a very clear 
idea. 

Jacob. I wish you would, in the first instance, ex- 
plain the reason we are forbidden the use of many ani- 
mals, etc. for food, that are appropriated to that purpose 
by other nations; it cannot be that to eat of them would 
be injurious to health, because we see them partaken of 
pretty generally without producing any ill effects. Does 
it not seem strange that we alone should have been laid 
under this restriction, and is it not at the same time very 
difficult to observe, as necessarily preventing our joining 
in familiar intercourse with others than ourselves? 

Aunt. My dear boy, the consequence you have de- 
duced from your last question, as I will shortly prove to 
you, solves all your perplexities on this subject. With- 
out troubling ourselves with surmises, as to whether this 
or that species of /ood would be unwholesome, which I 
do not consider at all relevant to the subject, as such 
was not the reason assigned for the prohibitions in the 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 333 

law, which caiij therefore^ not be made to apply to any 
specified time or place; — without trenching on the pro- 
vince of the physician to determine this point, we will 
content ourselves with considering the signification of 
the following verses : — 

" I «m the Lord your God who have separated you 
from other people, ye shall therefore put difference between 
clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and 
clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by 
beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that 
creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from 
you as unclean. And ye shall be holy unto me: for I 
the Lord am holy, and have severed you from othei' 
people that ye should be mine" (Lev. xx. 24 — 27). 

Ruth. But I do not see how partaking of particular 
food can have this effect; what difference can it make 
whether we eat the flesh of the ox or the swine, the 
salmon or the lobster? 

Aunt. It makes this difference: that, recognising as 
we undoubtedly do, the Divine origin of our legislation, 
by disregarding any one of the prohibitions specified in 
the law, we render ourselves guilty both of the sins of 
disobedience and irreverence, in voluntarily tra,nsgressing 
the commands of God, who has instituted certain regu- 
lations, requiring care and watchfulness over our inclina- 
tions and actions, with the exercise of faith and self-denial, 
in order to train us up in submission and obedience to 
His will, which He has Himself declared to us — that we 
shall become " a holy people and severed from all other 
nations." In the 11th chapter of Leviticus, and 14th of 
Deuteronomy, you will find the distinction of clean ^ or 
of such animals, fowls, fish, and insects, as are permitted 
us to eat; and of unclean^ or of such as are prohibited. 
I therefore will not enlarge further than cursorily to 



334 TWENY-THIKD COKVEKSATION. 

mention, tliat of animals we may only eat the flesk of 
sucli as both cliew the cud and divide the hoof; — of 
fowls, birds, and insects, only of such as "go upon all 
four, and have legs above their feet to leap upon the 
earth" ;"^ — of fish, only of such as have both fins and 
scales. We have been allowed abundance of all kinds, 
not only for our actual sustenance, but for our luxuries 
also; surely we should not then hesitate at the trifling 
sacrifice that is required of us; we should not so deeply 
degrade the dignity of our immortal nature, as to permit 
the gratification of our appetite to overbalance the scale 
of duty. To the contrary, it would be well if we were 
to regard the restrictions imposed on us, in the light of a 
friendly fence set up to preserve us from the trespasses 
we might be led to commit through a too intimate com- 
munion with aliens' to the faith and hopes of Israel. 
When we are ridiculed for obeying these precepts, we 
have only to turn to the Pentateuch to shew our war- 
rant for so doing, and to pray as in Psalm cxli. 4. 

" Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise 
wicked works with men that work iniquity : and let me 
not eat of their dainties." 

And we know that Daniel, with his companions, Hana- 
niah, Mishael, and Azariah, refused to partake of the 
meat and wine of the Chaldeans, when carried captive to 
Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, trusting in the God of 
Israel to sustain and let them thrive as well on pulse and 
water^ and their prayers were answered; for, at the expi- 
ration of the ten days that had been allotted them for 
trial, they presented a more healthy appearance than 
those who had shared the unlawful food of their con- 
querors, thus proving the unfailing efficacious result, of 
a steady adherence to the commands of the Eternal. 

* Even with this distinction the various species are particu- 
larized. 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 335 

Jacob. Will you now shew us tlie authority for the 
prohibition against eating blood, which we know is the 
cause of the restriction against purchasing our meat from 
any but butchers of our own persuasion, who are in- 
structed in the laws of slaughtering, by our religious 
authorities ? 

Aunt. They are not only instructed, but their prac- 
tice is under the supervision of the chief Eabbi and the 
Dayanim. The eating of blood is repeatedly forbidden 
throughout the Scriptures, and in such stringent terms, 
that independently of the cattle, fowls, etc. being killed 
according to law, it is obligatory on us, to let all our 
meat pass through a certain process termed making casher, 
previous to its being cooked for consumption. 

Ruth. I suppose you allude to its being soaked in 
water ? 

Aunt. Yes; it must previously be well rubbed over 
with salt, and then immersed in water for a certain 
time, the object being to free it from all the remaining 
blood and impurities; we find that God said unto Noah, 
^' But flesh with the life thereof which is the blood thereof 
shall ye not eat*' (Gen. ix. 4). You will, of course, re- 
member that this was antecedent to the Mosaic revelation. 

" And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, 
or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth 
any manner of blood, I will even set my face against that 
soul that eateth blood, and will cut him oiF from among 
his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood : and 
1 have given it to you upon the altar to make an expia- 
tion for your souls : for it is the blood that maketh the ex- 
piation for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children 
of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any 
stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. And what- 
soever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the 



336 TWENTY-THIRD CONVERSATION. 

strangers tliat sojourneth among you, who hunteth. and! 
catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall 
even pour out the blood thereof and cover it with dust. 
For it is the life of all flesh ; the blood of it is for the 
life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, 
ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh : for the life 
of all flesh is the blood thereof; whosoever eateth it shall 
be cut off" (Lev. xvii. 10—15). 

" Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the 
blood is the life : and thou mayest not eat the life with 
the flesh. Thou shalt not eat it : thou shalt pour it upon 
the earth as water" (Deut. xii. 23 — 25). 

This prohibition is repeated many other times through- 
out the Pentateuch. 

Ruth. Here is a verse that I do not understand^ 
Aunt, for we certainly do not obey the precept it con- 
tains, as we eat the fat of every kind of meat. 

" And the Lord spake unto Moses^ saying, Speak unto 
the children of Israel saying, Ye shall eat no manner of 
fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat" (Lev. vii. 22 — 24). 

Aunt. We undoubtedly eat fat, my love, and yet we 
do not infringe this precept; for it is only that portion 
of fat or hard suet, that was appropriated to the sacrifices, 
that we are forbidden to touch, as it was devoted to the 
service of the Lord. Thus: — 

'^ And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace-offer- 
ing an offering made by fire unto the Lord ; the fat that 
covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the 
inwards. And the two kidneys and the fat that is on 
them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the 
liver, with the kidneys, it shall be taken away. And 
Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt- 
sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire : it 
is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the 
Lord'' (Lev, iii. 3—6). 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 337 

" For wKosoever eateth the fat of tlie beast, of whicli 
men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even 
the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people " 
(Lev. vii. 25). 

It is for this reason, that there are such stringent 
regulations laid down for killing and dismembering our 
meat for sale, and also for the examination of the animals, 
previous to their being slaughtered; for we are com- 
manded : — 

" And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye 
eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field ; ye shall 
cast it to the dogs'^ (Ex. xxii. 31). 

" Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself; 
thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates,, 
that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: 
for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God"*' 
(Deut.xiv.21). 

Jacob. Then, in fact, HQID Trefa signifies torn in 
pieces, I have always heard it applied to anything for- 
bidden ? 

Aunt. That is merely the effect of custom, in making 
it a synonymous term for anything prohibited as regards 
food; just in the same manner as IK^D acceptable is used 
to imply that certain things are right and according to 
law. The word Nebelah would be the more correct term 
for diseased or unsound animals, besides, that its original 
signification is a dead carcass. 

Ruth. Will you tell us why the sinew is taken out of 
the legs of cattle ? 

Aunt, Because when the Angel wrestled with Jacob 
at Peniel, he touched the hollow of his thigh, which 
became out of joint. 

" Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew 
which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh 



338 TWENTY-THIRD CONVERSATION. 

unto tHs day: because he touched the hollow of Ja- 
cob's thigh in the sinew that shrank" (Gen. xxxii. 
32). 

Jacob. I have one more question in reference to the 
regulations for food; what is the reason we may not eat 
butter and meat together, this restriction is not named in 
the Pentateuch, is it? 

Aunt. Certainly not in the direct terms you have 
used; our authority for this restriction, is derived from 
the interpretation given in the oral law to the following 
command, which is named twice in Exodus xxiii. 19, 
and xxxiv. 26, and in Deuteronomy xiv. 21 : — 

^* Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk." 

Ruth. I can understand the prohibition for the actual 
act, applied even in a general sense to all animals; for 
the idea of steeping and cooking the young in its mo- 
ther's milk is both unnatural and revolting; but what 
has this to do with butter and meat? 

Aunt. More than you are aware of, my love ; for after 
deep and earnest investigation of this subject, it was finally 
decided by the Rabbins, from the fact of this precept hav- 
ing been laid down three times in the same clear decisive 
language, without the addition of any extraneous re- 
marks — that it is intended to be observed in the faintest 
minutiae; they, therefore, hold it forbidden to mix butter 
(which in its pristine state is certainly milk) with meat 
in any shape; or to partake of it, or of anything made 
with it at the same meal, or within a certain period after- 
wards; of which the shortest allowable is owe ^owr. The 
due observance of this precept, furnishes us with another 
opportunity for the exercise of self-denial in sacri- 
ficing the pleasures of the palate to our duty. 

Jacob. Will you now tell us the origin of the thirty, 
and of the seven days of mourning ? 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 339 

Aunt. They are both of rabbinical institutioiij founded 
on ancient usages, thus : — 

" And when all the congregation saw that Aaron, was 
dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the 
house of Israel" (Numbers xx. 29). 

And the same respect was paid to Moses. The first 
seven days of mourning termed " Abel" are probably 
observed from Joseph's mourning for his father Jacob : — 

" And he made a mourning for his father seven days " 
(Gen. 1. 10). 

Ruth, From whence is derived the practice of the 
" Kerigna/' or rending our garments for the dead? 

Aunt. It was one of the eastern modes of testifying 
grief: you know we are commanded: — 

'' Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall 
not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your 
eyes for the dead : For thou art an holy people unto the 
Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a 
peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that 
are upon the earth" (Deut. xiv. 1 — 3). 

We, therefore, make no further outward display of 
afEiction, than by rending our garments, as did Jacob, 
when he mourned for the supposed death of Joseph. 

" And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon 
his loins, '^and mourned for his son many days " (Gen. 
xxxvii. 34). 

This should be done on first hearing of, or witnessing 
the misfortune, for father, mother, brother, sister, hus- 
band, and wife. The mourners saying, at the same time, 
the following appropriate blessing: — 

"Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the Uni- 
verse, the true Judge." 

Jacob. What is the nature of the Ashcaba ? 

Aunt. It consists of impressive supplicatory prayers. 



340 TWENTY-THIRD CONVERSATION. 

beseecHng our gracious God in His mercy to pardon the 
sins of the deceased^ and to permit that the soul, or 
spirit, so recently released from its mortal coil, be received 
into the regions of eternal bliss. At the conclusion of 
the Ashcaba, it is usual for the relatives and friends of 
the departed, to make an offering of money for the relief 
of the poor, but for no ulterior purpose ; and it must, I 
think, have been a truly devotional feeling that insti- 
tuted this custom ; for, if looked upon in the right spirit, 
and not as a mere form, we cannot but acknowledge that 
to contribute our mite towards mitigating the distress of 
our fellow-creatures, while bowed down with affliction 
ourselves, is in a measure sanctifying the trial with which 
the Lord has thought fit to visit us. The prayers said at 
the house of mourning always comprise in the services of 
the day, Psalm xlix., containing such unmistakeable re- 
ferences to a future state, as being so well adapted to 
attract the minds of the bereaved from the trials of this 
sublunary sphere, to the higher aspirations of immor- 
tality. As I do not think it necessary to enter into 
further details, we will now conclude this cursory notice 
of the chief observances of mourning, with the Kadish, 
which is a solemn prayer consisting of three paragraphs, 
sanctifying and praising the name of God, entreating for- 
giveness for our sins, peace and prosperity, with the 
restoration of Jerusalem, etc.; these supplications fre- 
quently recur in our service of prayer, and must be 
said by the mourners for parents. 

Jacob. Why is the age of thirteen fixed as the period 
for a boy to be called up to the reading of the law, 
and to form one of Miniauy or a congregation of ten 
men? 

Aunt. Because he is not supposed before that age to 
be sufficiently informed on the spirit and observances of 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 341 

our religion, as to enable him to perform its several 
duties conscientiously. There are, however, several ini- 
tiatory officesin the Synagogue, that are permitted to be 
fulfilled before that period, and are held up as objects of 
emulation to the young; such as reading the Aphtarah, 
taking off the band, cloak, and bells of the Sepher, etc. ; 
the Tzitzith may also be worn when the boy has been 
properly instructed, so as to be aware that he is perform- 
ing a duty in doing so. 

Ruth. Our list of questions is diminishing visibly; 
the next subject is the Abdallah; is it not a rabbinical 
observance? 

Aunt. Yes; we mark the commencement and con- 
clusion of the sabbath by partaking alike of the Kidush, 
or cup of sanctification ; on the latter, we also say the 
blessings of the spices and of the fire, finishing with the 
one from which this ceremony takes its name : — 

" Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the Uni- 
verse, who makest a distinction between sacred and pro- 
fane," etc. 

Jacob. Why do we turn towards the east in our 
prayers? 

Aunt. Because in that quarter is situated our home — 
our promised land, to which we confidently hope to be 
restored on the advent of the Messiah; the Hechal is 
always built on the east side of the Synagogue ; in Pales- 
tine it was, and is, customary to turn towards Jerusalem ; 
and in Jerusalem towards the site of the temple. 

Jacob. I should like to know why we cover our 
heads for prayers, whilst most European nations consider 
it a mark of respect to uncover, both for worship and 
before any illustrious personage? 

Aunt. You must have remarked, my dear children, 
that fashions, and indeed things generally, are estimated 



342 TWENTY-THIRD CONVERSATION. 

in proportion to the value and importance tliat is affixed 
to tKem ; consequently the right of one country is very 
frequently the wrong of another, according to the re- 
spective usages. For the origin of this custom, we 
must again refer to our Oriental descent; for, in Eastern 
climes it is considered an insult^ a mark of degradation, 
to remove the turban and uncover the head; we, there- 
fore, scrupulously cover it (as a token of respect) both 
when attending divine worship in the synagogue, and 
in addressing prayers to our Creator at any time or 
place. This is a custom^ not a Mosaic precept. 

Ruth. What is the signification of the wine-glass 
being broken at the marriage ceremony. 

Aunt. It is intended to serve as a warning against 
our being too much engrossed with the joys of the 
moment, to the exclusion of all future anticipations; 
the shivered fragments of glass being symbolical of the 
dismemberment of our nation, and of the scattered rem- 
nant of Israel. It is meet that we should at all times, 
whether in joy or sorrow, be reminded of our fallen 
estate, of our heritage as "the peculiar people of the 
Lord " ; and to preserve this individuality, is the obvious 
and wise intent of all our observances. You, of course, 
are fully aware, that we may not contract marriages 
with persons out of our own faith, against which we 
are strictly forbidden. We find, in reference to the 
Gentiles : — 

'^Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy 
daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his 
daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will 
turn away thy son from following me, that they may 
serve other gods, so will the anger of the Lord be 
kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly" (Deut. 
vii.3— 5). 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 343 

Jacob. I have only one more question for this even- 
ing, in respect to an incident tliat occurred yesterday. 
I was walking with one of my school-fellows, George 
Smith_, when he asked me to call at his cousin's to fetch 
a book, and, while he was seeking it_, my attention 
was attracted by a lady, whom I felt convinced from 
her appearance was a Jewess; and yet her occupation, 
which was teaching two young children the Church 
catechism, made me feel it impossible : however, my im- 
pression proved correct, for George told me she was a 
Miss Isaacs, and daily governess to his cousins. Now 
is it right for us to teach the principles of a religion, 
foreign to our own? I cannot think it is. 

Aunt, And you are perfectly correct, my boy ; it is 
decidedly wrong, and no excuse can be offered for it. 
I regret that there should be any members of our 
nation, so misled, by what I suppose they would term 
the necessity imposed by expediency; we are neither to 
learn ourselves, nor to propagate the spirit of any faith 
out of the pale of Judaism, or we shall undoubtedly be 
committing a direct sin, and at the same time taking the 
first step towards our own separation from the " chosen 
of the Lord." Let us, my dear children, be content to 
teach our own faith properly, without incurring the 
guilt of disobedience and hypocrisy, in seeking to impart 
that, to which no true Israelite can hj any possibility sub- 
scribe in his heart. 



TWENTY-FOUKTH CONVERSATION. 

PROPHECIES RELATING TO THE ADVENT OF THE 
MESSIAH. — CONCLUSION. 



Aunt. As you are now, I trust, my dear cMldren, j 
tolerably conversant witH the spirit and principal ob- 
servances of our holy faith, we will, I think, devote this 
last evening to the interesting task of advancing a few 
more scriptural evidences, in support of our earnest be- 
lief in the future Advent of the Messiah; thus providing 
ourselves with uncontrovertible arguments against op- 
posite opinions, and in favor of the steadflist hope and 
faith, that should animate the breast of every child of 
Israel, in anticipating the fulfilment of God's gracious 
promise, that we shall, in His own good time, be gathered 
from among all the nations of the earth into our own 
land; there to be governed by the King Messiah, who 
■will be unmistakeably recognised as a descendant of the 
house of David, and of the tribe of Judah. We have 
already thoroughly established our conviction of the 
divine origin of our Scriptures, the source from whence 
we derive our information and belief, as also of the 
truth of prophecy; and have, therefore, now only to 
make ourselves acquainted with the chief events that are 
foretold by the prophets, as consequent on the Advent 
of the Messiah. 



ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. — CONCLUSION. 345 

Jacob. Whicli we ought, I should say, to regard in 
the light of friendly sign-posts, provided to warn us 
against straying into false paths. 

Aunt, Your simile is very good; and as our time 
will not permit us to plunge very deeply into this im- 
portant subject, after reciting, as a preliminary, another 
phase of the gracious promise on which we build our 
hopes, having already discussed it in our twelfth con- 
versation, I think I cannot do better than make a synopsis 
from the valuable pages of '' Faith Strengthened," which 
I much regret is not more available to the Jewish pub- 
lic, being unpublished; although, through the religious 
zeail and liberality of the translator, it is nevertheless 
very fairly diffused among our co-religionists in both 
the Eastern and Western climes. In Jeremiah xxx. 
we find : — - ^" ' 

" And these are the words that the Lord spake con- 
cerning Israel, and concerning Judah. For it shall 
€ome to pass in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts, that 
I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst 
thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves 
of him : But they shall serve the Lord their God, and 
David their King, whom I will raise up unto them. 
Therefore fear thou not, my servant, Jacob, saith the 
Lord; neither be dismayed, Israel: for, lo, I will save 
thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their 
captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, 
and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I 
«w with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee; though I 
make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered 
thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee ; but I will 
correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee alto- 
gether unpunished" (ver. 4, 8 — 12). 

We will now turn our attention to the signs by 

A A 



346 TWENTY-FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

wtich we are to recognise tlie Advent of the Messiah ; 
and as it will not be possible to read you more than 
one quotation on each point now, you must note down 
the references, and study them carefully in connection 
with the argument. They will serve us an interesting 
and appropriate Sabbath occupation. 

{a.) At the time of the King Messiah, there is to be 
only one kingdom and one king, namely, the true king 
Messiah. 

''And in the days of these kings shall the God of 
Heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be de- 
stroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other 
people, but it shall break in pieces, and consume all 
these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever " (Dan. ii. 
44). See also Isaiah Ix. 10— 12. The in-gathering of 
the Ten Tribes, and their union with Judah and Ben- 
jamin is naturally included in this prophecy; see Ezek. 
xxxvii. 16 to end. 

Ruth. This, of course, has not come to pass ; for there 
are numerous empires, various in their laws and habits 
still in existence, ruled each by a diiferent king, and the 
tribes of Israel are yet scattered all over the world. 

Aunt, (b.) At the time of the King Messiah, there 
is to be in the world but one creed and religion, and that 
is the religion of Israel. Unity of faith will prevail 
throughout the world. 

'^ Awake, awake, put on thy strength, Zion; put on 
thy beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city- 
for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the 
uncircumcised and the unclean " (Isaiah lii. 1). See alsa 
Zee. xiv. 9. 

Under this head are included the prophecies respecting 
the conversion of the Gentiles to Judaism ; — 

*' Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, In those days it shall 



ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. — CONCLUSION. 347 

come to pasSj that ten men of nations of diverse Ian 
guages snail take liold^ even shall take hold of the skirt 
of a Jew, saying, We will go with you ; for we have 
heard that God is with you" (Zech. viii. 23). 

Also the annual pilgrimage of the remnant of all na- 
tions to Jerusalem : — 

" And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left 
of all the nations which come against Jerusalem, shall 
even go up from year to year to worship the King, the 
Lord of Hosts, and to keep the feast of Tabernacles" 
(Zech. xiv. 16, see also 17, 18). 

Jacob. Then the prophecy of the celebration of the 
Sabbath and of the new moons by all the Gentiles, must 
come under this head; for we find, in Isaiah Ixvi. 23 : — 

" And it shall come to pass that from one new moon 
lo another, and from one Sabbath to another_, shall all 
flesh come and worship before me, saith the Lord." 

Not one point of these predictions has yet been ful- 
filled ; therefore, we are thus far warranted in believing 
that the Messiah has not yet come. 

Aunt, (c) At the time of the Messiah, the idolatrous 
images and their memorial, as also the false prophets, 
and the spirit of profanity, are to vanish from the earth, 
— idolatry will be totally extinguished, whether in the 
shape of wood and stone, or of arrogating a divine mis- 
sion to any being. 

" And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the 
Lord of Hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols 
from the earth, and they shall no more be remembered; 
also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to 
pass away from the earth " (Zech. xiii. 2). 

jRuth. The worship of idols is still prevalent among 
the nations unacquainted with revealed religion ; and 
by all but ourselves, divine attributes are ascribed to 



348 TWENTY-FOUIITH CONVERSATIOX. 

others besides the ONE sole God; therefore we have 
here another convincing proof that the Messiah has not 
arrived. It is very interesting to dissect the prophecies 
in this manner, and seems to smooth down all difficulties 
without any mystery. 

Aunt, (d) At the time of the Messiah, we are told 
that sin shall no longer prevail; that there will be no 
sins and iniquities in the world ; particularly among 
the Israelitish nation: thus we find in the law imme- 
diately following the promise of our restoration : — 

" And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart 
and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with 
all thine heart and with all thy soul, that thou mayest 
live" (Deut. xxx. 6; see Ezek. xxxvi. 25 — 29; also Jer. 
iii. 17; L20). 

Jacob. We need not ponder much on this point ; for,, 
unfortunately, neither we, nor the Gentile nations, can 
make any pretension to being free from sin. 

Aunt, (e) At the time of the King Messiah, and after 
the subjugation of the resisting powers, peace will prevail- 
throughout the world. 

'^ And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, 
and their spears into pruning hooks ; nation shall not lift 
up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any 
more" (Isa. ii. 4, see also Eze. xxxix. 9 — 11). 

The blessings of peace and harmony will even extend 
to the brute creation at that time. 

" And I will make with them a covenant of peace, 
and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land; 
and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep 
in the woods" (Eze. xxxiv. 25 ; see likewise Isa. xi. 6 — 10). 

Huth. These two prophecies have certainly not yet 
been fulfilled ; for the records of the past, and the history 
of the present day, sufficiently attest the continual state- 



ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH.— CONCLUSION. 349 

of warfare tliat has heen, and is still carried on between 
tlie different nations of the earth ; and there is certainly 
no bond of union between the ferocious and tame animals ; 
neither is there peace between mankind and the former. 

Aunt. (/) At the time of the Messiah, there will be 
no troubles, cares, and anxieties among the restored 
Israelites: — 

" And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my 
people, and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard 
in her, nor the voice of crying" (Isa. Ixv. 19, 20 — 
24). 

As '^ the witnesses of the Lord" we, in our captive state 
which has endured since 'the idestruction of the second 
temple, offer undoubted evidence of the non-fulfilment 
of this prophecy; we therefore await with, well-founded 
hope the period of our redemj^tion, when our '^ weeping" 
will be turned into "joy and gladness." 

Jacob. How very clear these predictions are ! It is 
quite impossible to be in doubt as to whether they have, 
or have not taken place. 

Aunt, {g) At the time of the Messiah, the Shechinah 
(Divine presence) will be restored to Israel as in former 
days : — 

" And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do 
sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst 
of them for evermore " (Ezek. xxxvii. 28). 

See also, ver. 26— 28; Joel iii. 17. This event will 
bring with it the restoration of prophecy, the increase of 
wisdom and knowledge of the Lord. 

" And it shall come to pass, afterwards, that I will 
pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your 
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream 
dreams, your young men shall see visions" (Joel ii. 28) ; 
see also Ezek. xxxix. 29. 



350 TWENTY-FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

" And tliey sliall teacK no more every man his neigh- 
bour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the 
Lord; for they shall know me from the lowest to the 
highest, saith the Lord ; for I will forgive their iniquity, 
and remember their sin no more " (Jer. xxxi. 34) ; see 
also Isaiah xi. 9. 

(A) At the time of the Messiah, the ancient division of 
the Holy Land will be resumed : 

*' Thus saith the Lord God, This shall be the border, 
whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the 
twelve tribes of Israel," etc. (Ezek.xlvii. 13, to the end). 

[i) The future temple will be rebuilt according to the 
design pre-determined by the Almighty, which was 
revealed to Ezekiel ; see xl. to xlv. 

There are, likewise, some natural phenomena predicted 
to take place at the advent of the Messiah : thus (j) the 
Mount of Olives will be rent asunder : — 

" And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount 
of Olives, which is before Jerusalem, and the Mount of 
Olives shall be rent asunder in the midst of the east and 
the west, so as to become a very extended valley ; and 
half of the mountain shall remove towards the north, 
and half of it towards the south " (Zech. xiv. 4). 

{k) The river of Egypt shall be divided, and dry up, 
prior to the gathering of the exiles of Judah : — 

" And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the 
Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake 
his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven 
streams, and make men go over dryshod. And there shall 
be an highway for the remnant of His people which shall 
be left from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day 
that he came up but of the land of Egypt " (Isaiah xi. 
15, 16). 

(/) In Ezekiel's vision concerning the future temple. 



ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH — CONCLUSION. 351 

it is foresliewn, tliat waters will issue from tlie sanc- 
tuary. 

'^ The waters issued out from under tlie threshold of 
the house eastward. . . . And by the river thereof on this 
side, and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose 
leaf shall not fade, nor the fruit thereof be consumed. 
It shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, 
because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary; 
and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf 
thereof for medicine" (Ezek. xlvii. 1 and 12); see also 
Zech. xiv. 8. 

We have now only two more prophecies to recite, in 
connection with the advent of the Messiah. 

Ruth. And they are very important; for I am sure 
you allude to — I 

(m) '^ The coming of Elijali the prophet"; for we find 
" Behold,, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the 
coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And 
he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and 
the heart of the children to the fathers; lest I come and 
smite the earth with a curse" (Malachi iv. 5, 6). 

Jacob. And I suppose " the resurrection of the dead" 
is the wind-up : we anticipate it will be coeval with the 
advent of the Messiah; but as we said before, there is no 
period clearly revealed to us : wx only know that it will 
certainly take place in the Lord's appointed time. 

'^ Behold I, even I, am even the same, and there is no 
God with me. I bring to death and I bring to life 
again; I crush and I heal again; neither is there any 
that can deliver out of my hand" (Deut. xxxii. 39); see 
also Isaiah xxvi. 19. 

Aunt. We have now, my dear children, drawn the 
outline of the chief points connected with the advent of 
the Messiah, as foreshewn through the words of the 



352 TWENTY-FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

prophets; and as you advance in the study of the Scrip- 
tures, with these fixed data to work from, you will easily 
be enabled to discover the reiterated corroboration with 
which the sacred pages are replete ; for although the evi- 
dence we have advanced is both sufficiently forcible and 
copious to ensure perfect conviction of the truth of our 
belief, yet you will find, that as much more again may 
be collected, equally comprehensive and definite in sig- 
nification. 

Ruth. Are there not many passages in our Scriptures, 
to which a different version has been given by non- 
believers in Judaism? 

Aunt. Yes; and frequently from a mistranslation of 
the Hebrew; I therefore tail with pleasure the appear- 
ance of every fresh publication of the Scriptures by 
learned members of our community. The Hi. and liii. 
chapters of Isaiah are completely misinterpreted in the 
ordinary version of the Bible; but, with the knowledge 
and feeling you have now acquired of the spirit and 
principles of our holy faith, I am under no apprehension 
of your failing to recognise the Jewish [nation, its trials 
and calamities, through the veil of imagery under which 
it is so figuratively portrayed. It would not be possible, 
nor^ indeed, is it necessary, to notice the numerous points 
to which a perverted meaning has been given, for they 
convey no doubts to our minds; whether certain passages 
of Scripture be made to bear upon certain events, — or 
whether such events be accommodated to meet the appa- 
rent signification of particular predictions is no concern 
of ours; like the chorus of a song, we have only to re- 
peat the same question — " Have the prophecies we have 
enumerated respecting the events connected with the 
advent of the Messiah yet been fulfilled?" As it is 
utterly impossible to receive a satisfactory answer in the 



APR 191950 



ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH— CONCLUSION. 353 

affirmative, we are provided with a very simple quietus 
to every argument against our Faitli. And now^, my 
dear children, you have I trust laid a solid foundation in 
the knowledge you have acquired of the Spirit and ob- 
servances of Judaism ; and are therefore prepared to 
enter on the more abstruse points of our religion, and to 
appreciate the works of our learned men ; in which path 
I should feel myself guilty of presumption were I to 
attempt to give you further guidance ; consequently, if 
even our approaching separation had not necessitated the 
step, I should still have considered it right to relinquish 
the direction of your religions studies to more competent 
authority. 

Ruth. Although we are anhicipating the joyful re-union 
with our beloved parents liext week, believe me, dear 
Aunt, the conclusion of our interesting discussions causes 
us both, deep and sincere regret; they have afforded us 
so much pleasure, that I can scarcely believe we have 
acquired such a variety of valuable information through 
the mere medium of conversation. 

Jacob. It seems as if we were preparing to part with 
an old familiar friend; we siall not easily lose the im- 
pression of our happy sabbath evenings; and, indeed, 
Aunty, we will use our best endeavours that the seed 
you have sown may yield a good harvest; so that we 
may prove how gratefully we appreciate the affection 
that has induced you to respond so patiently to our en- 
quiries; making them the pleasing channel of conveying 
the most valuable precepts of religion and morality, 
such as I hope will ever influence our conduct through 
life. 

Aunt. My own dear children, the retrospection of 
the mutual interest we have felt in our religious discus- 
sions, will afford me cheering solace in many a lonely 

B B 



354 TWENTY-FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

hour ; we have together studied the impressive lesson, 
that — 

" Every word of God is pure; He is a shield unto 
them that put their trust in Him" (Prov. xxx. 5). 

I therefore trust, that, while requesting indulgence for 
the deficiencies of self-assumed pilotage, we, unitedly 
with all our young friends of the " House of Israel," may 
exemplify in our practice, the beneficial results of our 

" Sabbath Evenings at Home." 



THE END. 



I 



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